Discuss the political and economic changes and continuities that occurred as Rome went from a Republic to an Empire During the classical age, Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire. During this time Rome’s senate was weakened becoming nothing more than a meaningless place for debates. This was because Rome became an empire in which the emperor had absolute power. While the senate was weakened Rome still controlled trade throughout the Mediterranean. This was due to Rome’s victory over Carthage in the Punic Wars. As Rome changed from a republic to an empire one change was that the senate lost power
in politics, while it still existed it was a place for nothing more than debates. This was because the emperor had absolute power. Another change was that governors were now appointed to control provinces and collect taxes. This was due to the vast expansion and size of the Roman Empire. While many things changed during the transition from republic to an empire one thing that remained the same was the use of the twelve tables in roman politics. Due to the fact that Romans thought they could be adapted to meet the shifting conditions without fluctuating drastically, also another thing that remained constant was religious tolerance. This was because as long as you were loyal to the state they did not want to impose a religion upon you. Along with political changes there were numerous economical changes. The Pax Romana gave economic relief to the constant expansion of the empire. This was because since trade along land and sea were protected, trade thrived. Another change was that the empire now oversaw the grain trade as well as the regulation of vital supplies. Though many things changed, Rome remained in control of the trade along the Mediterranean during the transition, due to its victory over Carthage in the Punic Wars. Though they had control of the Mediterranean they were still at a disadvantage, the items they traded were less sophisticated than the ones that came from East Asia. They traded metals, animal skins and even exotic African animals for spices and porcelain from the Silk Road.