Decline Of The Roman Republic Essay

The Roman Republic was birthed after the legendary rape of Lucretia, as told by Roman historian Livy. The subsequent overthrow by Lucius Junius Brutus of King Tarquin the Proud’s monarchy led to the creation of the Roman Republic in 509 B.C.E. The focal-point of the new order was to emphasize the sharing of power, which contributed to its fast-paced success. However, the Republic also decayed and collapsed as quickly as it had grown. The main factors that attributed to its decline were the political reforms proposed by the Gracchi, its rapid expansion and conquests, and the consuls Marius and Sulla. These three factors all played significant roles in the decay of the Roman Republic and its transition into the Roman Empire. Tiberius and Gaius
By opening the military enrollment to the proletarians, they were able to gain wealth through riches they plundered through their conquests. However, this support and loyalty also hindered the Republic. By having a military that was more loyal to its leader rather than the people it served, Gaius and his military quickly transformed into a patron-client system. Gaius had full support from the military in whatever his decisions were, good or bad. By setting a precedent for future Roman commanders, he helped accelerate the rate of the Republic’s
After defeating Marius and his supporters, Sulla obtained full control of the city. He then began to exterminate anyone who opposed his beliefs. He quickly did this through a procedure called proscription, which were hit-lists of those who the terrified Senate proved guilty of treason and allowed the killer to receive their victims wealth. The Senate also then gave the title of dictator to Sulla, which gave him total control of political offices and promoted the optimates