Why Did Roman Republic Fall

Why and how did the Roman Republic fall? Answer the same for the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic was the major stronghold for centuries. Encompassing the Mediterranean and much of Europe, and even having influence throughout Egypt and beyond, it was well understood that Rome was not to be messed with. No civilization could ever topple such a well-organized and technologically advanced society such as Rome. No civilization, that is, other than its own self. Pride, revenge, and greed influenced key decisions that pried at the few loose ends that Rome had. Generals, soldiers, and the Senate alike destroyed the foundations on which the Roman Republic was built on, and the nation collapsed from the inside out. In a perfect world, Rome had an
excellent, impermeable structure, but it was no match for human nature. The major failures of the Republic began with corruption in the Senate. Members were bribed by rich merchants and noble men to pass laws in favor of their profits and the peasant class’s demise. Those who weren’t victim of bribery were only so because they had corrupted themselves, in office only to insure self-profit. Although it was denied, it was well known throughout Rome that the citizen’s vote no longer mattered, and that the Senate was corrupted. Furthermore, the Rome had become too large for the Senate to control. The government system was well adapted for controlling Italy, but controlling the vast Mediterranean territory required a very active, adaptive, and productive government, and the corrupted Senate could not keep up with the issues within its mass territory. Although the Roman government was highly unstable, it was not in fear of collapse until the Roman military turned in on itself. The Roman military became a professional class of soldiers lead by rich aristocrats, paid in gifts of land or money. These soldiers tended to ignore their generals’ disregard to constitutional restraints, more worried about collecting a small fortune for themselves than heading back to their farms. Their loyalty was to their general, not the republic. If the general was loyal to Rome, then this was no issue, but greed and pride led to a lust for power, which eventually led to civil war. But out of all these factors, the final blow was the fall of the Roman economy. Small farmers, who had been the backbone of Rome for centuries, were being bought-out by rich, slave-owning merchants. Farmers moved into the cities, offering the only thing they had left – their vote. With Rome in such turmoil, it traded with fewer and fewer civilizations. No imports and unfit land to grow wheat toppled the long standing Roman economy. Civil war erupted, and the Senate had no army to rise against it. It was inevitable. Rome was to be taken by an emperor. The first true emperor of Rome was Augustus Caesar, but the empire was set in motion by Julius Caesar, a dictator.
These early leaders, while they still exploited their power for personal gain, tried to revive Rome back to its full glory. For a time, Rome went through a period of peace called the PaxRomana - battles were scarce and trade flourished. Even then, though, prostitutes lined the streets, and emperors spent ridiculous amounts of money on ridiculous feasts, where the guests ate till they were sick and left the feast stumbling drunk. There was also no proper way to choose the next emperor, so transitions became bloody and troublesome. Over 25 of the 37 emperors were assassinated. Alongside the violence, many of the emperors were incompetent. After the first few emperors, it began to become a competition of money; the empire was left in the hands of the highest bidder. Unemployment soon became a bigger problem than it was during the Republic, and inflation became so bad that Roman currency was no longer accepted among surrounding civilizations and, in many cases, not even in Rome. The final blow came when the center of Rome moved from Italy. The move symbolized the final collapse of the corrupted, crime-ridden state. Rome would never return to its former glory, and the world would not see such great living conditions until the 1400s. Corruption, greed, and pride were the only things powerful enough to destroy the great civilization that lasted for so many centuries. Rome was, in essence,
dead.