Rome: From Republic To Empire

1. Rome: From Republic To Empire By 270 B.C., Rome had conquered most of the Italian peninsula Rome was committed to a policy of imperialism, or establishing control over foreign lands and peoples.

2. Between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C., Rome fought three wars (Punic Wars) against Carthage, a city-state on the north coast of Africa that controlled north Africa and the western Mediterranean Sea. • 1st War – Rome won Siciliy, Corsica, and Sardinia • 2nd War – Carthage wants revenge. General Hannibal leads his army through the Alps to invade Italy from the north. For 15 years he won many battles in Italy, but never captured Rome. Rome attacked Carthage to force Hannibal to return to defend his homeland. Rome defeated Hannibal and won the rest of Carthage’s western Mediterranean lands. • 3rd War – Rome completely destroys Carthage and takes their north African lands.

3. At the same time, Rome launched wars in the east • Macedonia, Greece and Asia Minor became Roman provinces, or lands under Roman rule. • Egypt made an alliance with Rome. • By 133 B.C., the Roman empire stretched from Spain to Egypt. • Romans called the Mediterranean Mare Nostrum, or “Our Sea.”

4. Rome’s control of the Mediterranean trade routes brought incredible riches, but that new wealth created problems as well. • Wealthy Romans bought huge estates called latifundia. • Prisoners of war were forced to work as slaves on latifundia. • Widespread use of slave labor drove many small farmers out of business. • They could not produce food as cheaply as the latifundia did. • Many went into debt and had to sell their land. • Landless farmers went to Rome and other cities to find jobs. • There they joined the growing class of unemployed. • The widening gap between rich and poor led angry mobs to riot

5. In 133 B.C. and 123 B.C. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were elected tribune and attempted reforms to help the poor. • Tiberius wanted to distribute lands to poor farmers. • Gaius wanted to use public lands to buy grain to feed the poor. • These reforms angered the senate, which saw them as a threat to its power. • Senators hired assassins to kill the Gracchus brothers. • Their assassination set off a long series of civil wars.

6. During the Civil Wars, the legions became professional armies loyal to their commanders. Rival generals used their armies to influence politics in Rome. One of these was Julius Caesar. • Between 59 B.C. and 50 B.C., Caesar conquered Gaul, present day France. • His growing popularity worried the senate. They ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome. • Caesar defied the senate. He led his army across the Rubicon River and marched on Rome. • This act of defiance led to another civil war.

7. Caesar crushed his opponents and forced the senate to make him dictator. • From 48 B.C. to 44 B.C., Caesar ruled Rome with absolute power. He made many reforms to deal with Rome’s problems: • Launched public works projects to create jobs. • Gave public lands to the poor. • Reorganized the government of the provinces and granted citizenship to more people. • Introduced a new calendar based on Egyptian knowledge  our calendar today Worried that Caesar wanted to be king, His enemies assassinated him on March 15, 44 B.C. in order to save the republic. This set off another civil war!

8. In 31 B.C., Octavian, Caesar’s grand-nephew, defeated Mark Antony, Caesar’s top general, and his ally Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. • The senate gave him the title Augustus, or “Exalted One.” • Not called king, but ruled with absolute power and named his successor. • This marks the end of the republic and the beginning of the age of empire.

9. Between 31 B.C. and A.D. 14, Augustus laid the foundation for a stable government which worked well for 200 years. • left the senate in place, but created a civil service to enforce the laws. • government jobs were open to men of talent regardless of social class. • allowed local governments a greater measure of self-rule. • ordered a census to make the tax system more efficient. • set up a postal system. • issued new coins to make trade easier. • used public works projects to ease unemployment. One Problem: Succession!Rome had no constitution , and Romans didn’t like the idea of power passing from father to son. When an emperor died, there was usually intrigue and violence!

10. Augustus’ Successors • The “Bad Emperors” • Caligula – evil and insane? He appointed his favorite horse as consul. • Nero – viciously persecuted Christians. Blamed for setting a fire that destroyed much of Rome. He supposedly stood on his balcony and sang as he watched it burn! • The “Good Emperors” • Hadrian – Codified Roman law, and built a defensive wall across Britain to protect against invaders. • Marcus Aurelius – a philosopher-king. A follower of Stoicism who embodied commitment to duty.

11. The period beginning with Augustus in 31 B.C. and ending with Marcus Aurelius in A.D. 180 is known as the PaxRomana, or Roman Peace. • It was a golden age of general peace, order, unity and prosperity. • Rome’s empire now stretched from the Euphrates River to Britain, an area the size of the continental U.S.

12. But there was still the problem of large mobs of restless poor in Rome and other cities. • Solution: Bread & Circuses • Emperors used tax money to pay for chariot races, gladiator contests, and free grain to pacify the mob. • This was a mistake! It placed the people under a heavy tax burden, and created an out of control welfare state.