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Rome was originally established as a small city state which showed great promise for becoming a dominant force in the Mediterranean. With a strong Republican government which provided fair and efficient institutions that gave all Romans a voice in politics, as well as a powerful, well- consolidated army, and many resources that provided for a prosperous economy, Rome had just the right ingredients to accomplish this task. However, a large regional state was the limit to what Romes republic could handle efficiently. As a regional state, it had a hard enough time reaching constitutional compromises between the different social classes. As a sprawling empire it wouldnt be feasible to allow enough constituencies a voice in the government to prevent crippling class tensions. For hundreds of years different rulers toyed with different ideas of designing a political structure that would maintain the empire.
Indeed their efforts kept the empire alive for a long time, but its deafening flaws couldnt be concealed forever and they would eventually cripple Rome. The inevitable truth was that someones interests were always left out in Roman government policy. The Roman masses, the commoners and slaves that made up the workforce would always wind up suffering at the expense of the wealthy classes. They would take refuge in monotheistic religions, especially Christianity, which gave the commoners hope that by devoting themselves to god and not immoral Emperors they would someday rise above their current situations.
As more and more plebes became Christians, the workforce which was the backbone of Roman economy began to die out. Similarly, ambitious generals lost their loyalty to the Emperor and began pursuing their own interests causing disunity in the army. All these factors promoted the internal bleeding of the Roman empire. This caused the empire to break up and made it externally defenseless, eventually leading to foreign invasion. As Rome continued to grow, the discrepancy of wealth between social classes continued to widen. Rome would conquer lands and distribute them to wealthy aristocrats who would then organize them into huge plantations called latifundia.
These would drive small farmers in the area out of business and force many into slavery. The Gracchi brothers were one of the few voices in Roman government that represented the interests of these lower classes. Though, they soon found out the immense difficulty in bringing just social reforms as they hit a brick wall of power-thirsty aristocrats who werent the least bit disposed loosening their grip on their vast holdings. They had claimed ownership over the land and subject peoples would either stay and earn a living by working the land or leave. The fight for reforms continued to be a dead end street and there were ambitious generals like Gaius Marius who advantage of plebeians plight. The plebeians, with their hopeless situation and resentment towards the wealthy classes, played right into the hands of Gaius Marius, who would recruit them in his army to pursue his own interests.
He claimed to be fighting for all the urban poor, but eventually he too would show signs of bias and selfishness, distributing land mostly to discharged veterans of his army. An efficient compromise just couldnt be formed that would satisfy both classes. The plebeians would just have to continue to live through the pain and suffering and hope for the best. Their situation would improve somewhat during the rules of Julius and Augustus Caesar. Julius and Augustus Caesar recognized the importance of the plebes, for it was their muscle that kept Roman economy running. Their loyalty and compliance to the Empire was necessary to keep it stable and united.
Caesar launched many public works projects to provide employment for the urban poor and extended citizenship to peoples in the provinces, ensuring that everyone would be accounted for in Roman government. His successor, Augustus, continued his fathers reforms and added some of his own. Like his patron, he understood how important the plebes were to Rome. By analyzing the causes of past civil insurrections he was able make good reforms that would keep Rome stable for more than 2 centuries. He understood what a dangerous threat ambitious generals were to the Roman Empire and thus created a new standing army composed of commanders who owed allegiance directly to the emperor. Also, in this great Pax Romana Augustus had left behind, a formal, standardized law code was established and deployed in all parts of the empire.
The twelve tablets were a very rational and just and would help circumvent civil disobedience. Although these reforms were certainly a step in the right direction, they still couldnt prevent Romes downfall. There was still one major gray area that remained untouched throughout centuries of Romes expansion. Expansion led to increasing wealth and urbanization but Rome lacked an urban policy that would manage the two efficiently and fairly. As Rome became urbanized, a lot of new employment was created in the field of construction and thus the population surged. Shopkeepers, merchants, artisans, and craftsmen prospered in Rome.
Unfortunately, with their increasing wealth they lost their modesty. They built palatial houses and dined on the finest meals. This angered the Roman plebeians for they had to live on porridge and vegetables. They found out once again that they had been betrayed by the Roman government.
Other than gladiator battles and cheaper subsidized grain, there had been no real reforms to benefit them. In their sad predicaments, the plebeians looked to the religions of salvation for hope and guidance.
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Research essay sample on Augustus Caesar Roman Empire
