Transcript Rome: From Republic to Empire

Rome: From Republic to
Empire
A. Effects of Expansion
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Turned conquered lands into provinces
Control of trade routes brought new money into
Rome
New wealthy class – large estates – latifundia –
worked by slaves conquered in war
Small farmers were hurt – grain prices declined –
unemployment rose – unemployed moved to cities
– gap between the rich and poor grew
Greed and selfishness led to corruption
B. Attempts at Reform
1. 133 BC Tiberius and
Gaius Gracchus
(tribunes) called for
land redistribution in
favor of small farmers
2. Both brothers were
killed by the Senate in
mob violence
3. Civil wars for the next
100 years
B. Attempts at Reform
4. Slave uprisings and revolts against allies
Between 73 and 71 BC,
Spartacus, a former
gladiator and slave, led
an army of 90,000
escaped slaves. For 2
years he held off every
Roman army sent against
him. Finally, the
Romans crucified 6000
of the rebel slaves along
the road to Rome.
B. Attempts at Reform
5. Citizen soldiers became highly trained
men whose first allegiance was to their
general
C. Julius Caesar
1. Able general –
dominated Roman
politics with Pompey
2. 59 B.C. – after a 9
year campaign he
brought Gaul (France)
under control, killing
or enslaving 1 million
Gauls in the process
3. He was ordered to
disband army and
return to Rome by
Pompey and Senate
C. Julius Caesar
4. Treasonous act – led
army across Rubicon
River in N. Italy
5. Marched on Rome and
crushed Pompey’s
forces
6. “The Die Is Cast”
7. Forced Senate to make
him dictator
C. Julius Caesar
8. 48-44 BC many reforms
a. put his supporters in the Senate
b. public works projects provide jobs for the unemployed
c. new calendar based on Egyptian knowledge JULIAN
calendar
d. allows non-Italians to serve in the Senate, expanding
the number of Senators
e. replaces corrupt governors of Roman territories
f. expands Roman citizenship to many non-Romans
g. Loved by the Plebians
d. Essential Question: Why? (Hint: Consider his reforms, who is
more of a friend to the plebian, Caesar or the Senate?
C. Julius Caesar
9. Affair with Cleopatra produced son and strengthened
ties with Egypt
10.Pompey is forced to flee to Egypt where the boy King
Ptolemy has him beheaded as a favor to Caesar
11. Caesar is outraged by the act and deposes Ptolemy and
makes his sister Cleopatra the new Queen of Egypt
C. Julius Caesar
10. 44 BC – IDES OF MARCH
A. Caesar stabbed by Brutus, Cassius and other Senators on the Senate
Floor! “et tu Brute?”
B.Caesar has become an enemy of the Senate by making himself dictator
but the Plebians would accept nothing less!
C. The Plebians mourn the loss of their Caesar and Rome will be plunged
into further Civil War but the question is not: Should a new dictator
replace Caesar? But rather, who should that dictator be?
D. The very asking of this question illustrates the manner in which Caesar
has changed Rome. The Senate realizes that the Plebians will demand
a dictator to rule because they do not trust the Senate!
E. The Republic is dead! Hail Caesar!
D. Successors to Caesar
1. Mark Antony – Caesar’s chief
general
VS.
Octavian – Caesar’s grandnephew
D. Successors to Caesar
2. Octavian defeated
Mark Antony
who committed
suicide with Cleopatra
D. Successors to Caesar
3. 31 BC – 14 AD Octavian now known as
Augustus “Exalted One” “Princeps”
“First Citizen”
4. Absolute power though he did not use
the title “king”
5. 500 year old republic came to an end
E. Under Augustus
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Self-government in provinces
Civil service
Census
Postal service
Employed the jobless
F. Imperial Rome
1. 96-180 AD period of good emperors –
Hadrian, Trajan etc.
2. PAX ROMANA (began with Augustus,
ended with Marcus Aurelius)
3. Extended from Euphrates River in the
east to Britain in the north – same size
as the US
F. Imperial Rome
3. Legions protected
4. Free trade – goods, ideas and knowledge
a. grain from Egypt
b. ivory, gold and lions from Africa
c. spice, cotton, gems from India
d. Iranian merchants served as middlemen