Several factors contributed to the decline of the Roman Republic, but one of the most consequential was the increasing divide between the wealthy and the poor. As the Roman Empire expanded, wealthy landowners became even more powerful and influential, while the poor had fewer opportunities and less representation in government. This power displacement led to social unrest, political instability, and violent conflicts between factions vying for power. Several factors, including land ownership, political corruption, and social unrest, caused this divide. The Impact of Land Ownership During the expansion of the Roman Empire, wealthy landowners became increasingly powerful and influential. The agrarian crisis that affected the Republic during the second century BCE was a vital example of this divide. Wealthy landowners had bought up vast estates and used slave labor to work the land, bringing about the rise of latifundia, which were large estates owned by the wealthy. The increase in latifundia led to the concentration of wealth in a few individuals' hands, perpetuating the cycle of poverty and displacement (Bobertz, 2022). Unable to compete, the displaced small farmers migrated to …show more content…
The wealthy class used their power and influence to gain control of government positions, such as the Senate and the Assembly, which allowed them to enact policies that favored their interests at the expense of the poor (Brown, 2016). Additionally, the wealthy owned most of the land and controlled the production of goods, which gave them significant economic power (Arzamas, 2017). This economic power enabled them to control the political system by bribing officials and influencing elections (Shiffer, 2021). Corruption eroded the public trust in the government and led to further social turmoil (Brown, 2016; Shiffer,