The Roman revolution was a period of great upheaval in the city of Rome. This is because it was during this period that the Roman republic collapsed. It commenced when the last king of the Tarquin monarch lucius Junis Brutus was overthrown. At this time the republic of Rome was also governed by a complex constitution which was large. Later the republic of Rome set up a government that constituted of three main bodies which include the senate, consuls and assemblies.
The fall of the republic of Rome is dated back to the late second century B.C. there were many reasons for the decline some of which include;
Military; there were armies that were organised and led by senate officials who had appointed themselves. The armies lacked experience and expertise due to the fact that they were short lived for instance only functioned for two years only. The militia personnel also got back up from professionals and tempered generals.
The republic was also faced with financial constraints. This was steered by the gap between the rich and powerful. The rich acquainted themselves with all the wealth available in the republic. This, in return, resulted to a decline in their financial strength (Beard 1).
The roman republic citizens also divided themselves into social groups that constituted of plebs, equites and finally the patricii. The “plebs” was made up of the hardworking people while the equites belonged to the lower high class as the patricii composed of the highest class. The three groups were further divided by the political groups they belonged to.
This lack of unity among them was also a contributing factor to the decline of the roman republic. The birth of Rome as an empire too was a reason for the collapse. After Caesar’s assassin Octavian made his return to Rome as a single ruler unlike before when it was ruled by a group of three. Despite the existence of the senate Rome was now ruled by a governor and the republic collapsed (Smith 1).
The Gracci brothers in a bid to save the republic they worked on reforms that were of great importance to the roman peasantry. The brothers had in mind offering Latin’s full citizenship and providing soldiers with a piece of land. Their idea was widely accepted by the people but contrary the aristocracy in the senate were in opposition to their reforms. This led to misunderstanding between the two parties and later a civil war which ended in the loss of many innocent lives (Beard 1).
Consuls Marius and Sulla were both commander but the difference was Marius was non-ambitious and shrewd while Sulla was ambitious and loyal. When the city of Rome was faced with misunderstandings and violence and the leaders were unable to share power Sulla executed his opponents and interchanged them with his favourite members who were fit for the posts.
Julius Caesar and Pompey made their entrance at the time when focus and limelight was on the Rome. The two strategists were contradicting due to their greed for power and fame. Their lust is evident after the end of their war when Julius won he accepts and assumes his title “dictator for life” this brings out a clear picture that his main interest was control over Rome rather than the people’s welfare (Smith 1).
The collapse of the roman republic was mainly due to the disagreements between military leaders and greedy government officials. The prioritized their interests and ignored the peoples welfare for instance their lust for power, fame and wealth.
Works Cited
Beard, M. “The Fall of the Roman Republic”. 2010 – January 9, 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/fallofromanrepublic_article_01.shtml>
Smith, R. “The Fall of the Roman Republic.2009” – January 9, 2010. Web.