The Roman Republic was the Ancient Roman Civilization’s phase which was marked by a form of government which had a republican outlook. The Roman Republic was established after the Roman monarch was overthrown and it took place around 510 BC. The Roman Republic lasted over four and a half centuries until it collapsed due to numerous civil wars and from the Roman Republic the government turned from Republican to a government that had a Principate outlook and it also initiated the period of imperialism.
Around 130 BCE the republic started facing a lot of problems. Some of the problems included the city facing an economic stagnation, slaves were revolting and the military was experiencing dissension and all this helped bring about an upheaval in the republic’s politics. This political upheaval is now known as the Roman Revolution and also commonly referred to as the “Fall of the Republic”. However, though the republic underwent a violent, humiliating and painful transition, the government changed from the then present irresponsible oligarchy to a form of government in which it was accountable to the people and also had an autocratic outlook.
Factors that led to the collapse of the Republic
Between the years 133 BC and 121 BC two brother assumed power in the Roman Republic. These two brothers were known as Ti. and C. Sempronium Gracchus and they came to power, through the exploitation of the plebeian tribune and also used the same means to seize power into their own hands. This basically means that they were the only people who rule the republic without consultation of any sought. They had the senate and the magistrates in their pocket and also used the same to veto all activities in the public around the city so that the magistrates and senate could only concentrate on the brothers political agendas. They tried bringing the military to order by taking land which belonged to the public and putting the peasants on the land. C. Gracchus even tried to give Roman citizenship status to other Italians who were his allies. This provoked the people and both of them were killed and also their political supporters and followings when the aristocracy fomented an urban mob violence.
Another factor that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic was the rise of the private armies. The military faced various internal problems and the oligarchy did not achieve in its efforts to resolve the problem. This led to a number of Roman generals recruiting their own private armies. Some of these generals include C. Marius and L. Cornelius Sulla. The problem with this is that these armies were more loyal to their recruiters than to the state. This loyalty rose from the fact that the generals recruited peasants who would be offered bounties and stretches of land upon their discharge from the armies. The citizenship of these soldiers did not matter to the generals and they even granted Roman citizenship to soldiers from allies who were recruited into the private armies. There grew a very intense animosity between the generals and naturally this spread to their private armies. Finally a confrontation ensued in 88BC and this was made worse because it was during the Social War and also the Asian Rebellion was taking place. The confrontation was so violent that Sulla commanded his army to go to the city and expel Marius and his political supporters and followers. This sparked off the first civil war in the Roman Republic and this also bought a unique change in that the soldiers transformed their loyalties from the state to the commanding officers albeit slowly. This war was worn by Sulla after Mithridates and Marius and thus he took power as a dictator. He justified his dictatorship by saying that he was a dictator for the purpose of the restoration of the Republic.
Causes of the Political Decline
One of the causes was economic and social changes that characterized the era before imperialism. One of the causes of the political decline in the Roman Republic was the proceeds that were taken from various wars. The Roman conquests brought in a lot of wealth and in such a fast rate that the wealth could not be distributed equally throughout the Republic. This brought about a high level of inequality and this had the implication that the already wealthy people became wealthier when the poor had little progress if any. This led to the governors and general amassing a lot of wealth and naturally the posts of governors and generals attracted a lot of people. This led to a heightened competition for those positions and in so doing entered the era of electoral bribery. In addition, the increased expectations from the booty and profits of the wars encouraged gross abuses and numerous illegal behaviors by the generals and governors.
The status of the Roman Republic also assumed a much heightened status and they were soon recognized as very important world leaders. They and the knights who were very wealthy then embarked on projects of building luxurious houses and art villas as a portrayal of their status in the society. They also lived very luxurious lives. This in turn had the effect that many state resources were used by the senators and knights apart from the fact that they owned large tracts of lands. When the introduction of slave agricultural economies took place in Italy and Sicily, they leased their lands to established farmers and the labor was provided by the slaves. It turns out that they needed more slaves who were abundant around the Mediterranean peripheries. The population of the slaves increased and the Republic did not have enough police to cater for the increased population of slaves. Naturally, the living conditions of the slaves were pathetic and hence the rising of numerous rebellions. There were very serious revolts around the Republic which greatly contributed to the unstable status of the Roman Republic.
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix
Sulla was one of the people who contributed to the eventual collapse of the Roman Republic. This is because when he was a general he was grossly involved in the recruitment of private armies which would bring about the civil wars era in the Republic. Sulla recruited a stronger army and during the initial stages of the civil wars in Roman Republic, he defeated his rival generals, key among them being Marius. However, Marius did not as such face defeat at the hands of Sulla because by the time Sulla took power after the Civil Wars, Marius had already died of other causes. When Sulla assumed power, he became a dictator and this can explain why Caesar would become a dictator himself because Sulla had shown that dictatorship sometimes worked for the leaders of the Roman Republic. However, this legacy only played a great role in furthering the already deteriorated status of the Republic and the eventual collapse in the future. However, Sulla was a very fortunate leader because the Republic did not fall during his reign. His attitude towards dictatorship somehow helped him to survive a successful reign and he willingly resigned from office when he had come of age. When he resigned from power, he lived in his villas and he did not interfere with the day’s politics unless his policies were concerned. Some of the policies he left stayed until the collapse of the Republic but most of his policies were scrapped within a decade of his death.
The Gracchus Brothers
They can be referred to as the founders of Socialism by some degree. When they took leadership of the Republic, they adopted land reforms which were meant to give public land to the peasants. When they were taking power, the army was facing various problems ranging from recruitment problems to various wars in the vast European region. They were both well conversant with the ruling elite. Their main problem was that the peasants were being pushed further away by the wealthy landlords. They tried to bring land reforms in which everybody would have a piece of land. However, this did not fare well with the elite and wealthy people in the Republic. Though their intentions were morally correct, they have been deemed as politically not well connected with the times they were ruling. They were both assassinated for their efforts. It is believed that if their policies had prevailed, the collapse would have been delayed because the revolts that were being staged by the poor and the slaves would have been evaded.