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History and Evolution:
By William E. Steinman:
Part 28, Decline of the Republic:
October 6, 2003:
With the end of the wars against Carthage and Macedonia there were no major powers to stand against Rome. There was just ongoing guerilla war in Spain and territorial expansions against barbarian tribes. The result was that the steady stream of booty which had helped sustain Rome's economy dried up. Then an economic recession with it's internal unrest and bickering caused what prolonged war could never have done. Rome saw the inevitable decline and final collapse of the republic. Out of that collapse came the Roman Empire.
One prominent figure that perhaps accelerated the decline of the republic was a popular consul, one Gaius Marius. Because of his popularity with his military veterans and the plebs he was elected as consul in 108 BC. He also held the post of consul from 104 through 100 being successively elected each year. With a great deal of support he was able to bully the Senate. He confiscated some estates and distributed state lands to his veterans. At one juncture he called the plebs into the streets and allowed them to murder patricians.
Of course, his excesses could not continue. His power declined when the populace began to wonder if he also betrayed his friends whenever need arose. In 99 BC Marius left town, so to speak, but he continued to influence and manipulate the politics of Rome. The stability of the Republic had degenerated considerable with Marius. In the meantime Lucius Cornelius Sulla, another consul, was gaining power. In 88 BC, he gathered his army and marched on Rome. Marius was exiled and Sulla restored the senate to power. This, however, was a temporary reprieve.
Around this same time frame, 90 BC, Rome was suffering something called the Social War. The tribes of central and southern Italy, normal allies of Rome, grew tired of the autocratic rule. They sued for full Roman citizenship which was refused by the Senate. That tore it and the Italians formed their own confederation.
They managed to field a very good army. These were peoples who were used to warfare, having been allies of Rome. They defeated the Romans in a couple of battles and caused considerable alarm in the Senate. At this time a consul named Lucius Caesar, not to be confused with Julius Caesar, was able to push a law through granting citizenship to all Italians who had not participated in the revolt. In fact, many who had also claimed citizenship simply by laying down their arms. This ended the crisis of the Italian revolt.
Later, while Sulla was off fighting in Greece there was still considerable unrest in Rome. This caused the dismissal of another consul Lucius Cornelius Cinna. Cinna in turn joined with Marius. Together they raised an army and marched on Rome and capture the city. They were then elected to consulships in 87 BC this being Marius' seventh round. They then ordered a round of brutal executions of all of their enemies. Marius died in 86 BC, but Cinna remained in power until 84 BC when he was killed in a mutiny. This did not end the strife.
In 82 BC Sulla returned with his army to Italy and occupied Rome where he was elected dictator. Then he went on a rampage and many of his enemies were murdered. At the same time he stabilized the power of the senate by removing power from other bodies and localities. He put control of the courts firmly in the hands of the senate. His goal seemed to be restoring stability to the Roman government. In 80 BC, Sulla ended the state of emergency and gave up his emergency power. He retired a year later. Still the intrigue and strife was not ended.
In 78 BC one Marcus Lepidus became consul and when Sulla died began to undo his reforms. He was quickly defeated by Quintus Catulus, and Pompey. Thus began the career of Pompey and the struggle continued. Pompey had some success in the field when he helped defeat an uprising in Iberia. He also was involved in putting down a slave revolt in Rome. In 70 BC he and Crassus became consuls.
Meanwhile, piracy was causing considerable problems for Roman trade. In 67 BC Pompey was given command and power to deal with that. He was successful whereupon he was given the entire command of the East. He won some battles, consolidate the Eastern provinces and in the process, became the riches man in Rome. Unrest and revolution were still popular pastimes in Rome. Bribery and intrigue were rampant.
Pompey returned triumph, but made the error of dismissing his army. He simply wanted recognition for his achievements. he was undone by the intrigues of his enemies and was unable to reward his troops for their service. His demand for ratification of his consolidation of the East was even refuse.
What we see in all this infighting is the classic result of the lose of focus of a great state. With the end of expansion and large wars there was no common purpose to bind the Romans together. It became a political game of selfish interests above the interests of the state. With no significant external enemies, Rome seemed determine to generate internal enemies. Each time a strong person worked to restore stability in government the effort was undermined by political skulduggery. And so the republic continued to decline.
It was into this political mess that Gaius Julius Caesar returned
from his exploits in the field.
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