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Did Augustus Restore the Republic?

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Did Augustus Restore the Republic?
ANCH 313 AUGUSTUS AND THE ROMAN REVOLUTION

Samuel Francis Kelly
2013146550

ASSESSMENT 3 SYNOPSIS WORD COUNT: 98 ESSAY WORD COUNT: 2166

SYNOPSIS
“I transferred the Republic from my power to the dominion of the senate and people of Rome” Did Augustus Restore The Republic?

Augustus clearly made an impression in European history achieving much, conquering many and controlling the majority, he did not restore the republic. Adopting a piecemeal strategy, Augustus gradually silenced potential threats to his ambitions to control the Roman Empire under the semblance of restoring the Republic. Deceitful in masking his intent, Augustus acted as if he was reconstituting the Republic, using this as a device to conceal his intent, creating a model of covert dictatorship, birthing the age of the Roman Emperor, coercing and manipulating the people and senate, revolutionising the underlying power structure of the Roman government.

“I transferred the Republic from my power to the dominion of the senate and people of Rome” Did Augustus Restore The Republic?

The reign of Augustus was a clear turning point in European history with Augustus systematically creating a model of covert dictatorship that was to be followed by subsequent Roman Emperors. Through manipulation, coercion and militaristic strength, Augustus employed a piecemeal strategy that revolutionised the underlying power structure of the Roman government. Under the façade of restoring the republic, Augustus increased his power, wealth and influence, stabilising and establishing a Rome of greater equality, efficiency and profitability than ever before. However, such improvements came at the expense of many civil liberties. Although claimed in the Res Gestae1 Augustus did not restore the republic. He did however; incorporate proven and currently functioning aspects of the old republic, replacing those which had failed and improving upon the historical inadequacies of previous Roman governance. Augustus


Bibliography: Augustus, Res Gestae Divi Augusti, trans. Alison Cooley, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2009 Cassius, Dio, http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/53*.h tml, accessed 14th April 2012 at 11.03am Suetonius, Tranquillus, http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesa rs/Augustus*.html, accessed 16th April 2012 at 9.03am Tacitus, Annals http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/Annals/1A *.html, accessed 12th April 2012 at 9.15am
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