The amount of people dying from plague or invaders, caused the surviving citizens to be afraid, which would impact Rome’s
This shows that one of the main reasons that led to the fall of the Roman empire was because of their financial strains. Because of this, they weren’t able to recruit people to fight for them in wars, which overtime caused them to lose wars.
Sallust, a highly regarded Roman historian, commented that “…fear of its enemies preserved the food morals of the state, but when the people were relived of this fear, the favourite vices of prosperity-licence and pride-appeared as a natural consequence”. This is corroborated by Florus, a criticized Roman historian and poet “The next hundred years were unhappy and deplorable because of internal calamities. The resources and wealth gained in our conquests spoiled the morals of the age and ruined the state, which was engulfed in its own vices as in a common sewer”. Both Sallust and Florus explain how Tiberius’ death caused the senate to resort to violence in order to keep their power. Consequently, the peace in Rome was disturbed and eventually led to the fall of Rome.
In this essay the reason for Rome’s fall will be identified and why they caused Rome’s downfall. The primary reasons for the fall of Rome are military problems, untrustworthy government/injustice, and natural disasters/diseases. One of the reasons Rome fell is due to the fact Rome had multiple Military problems. According to Document B “because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it” (Doc B). Also according to Document B, “soldiers fought the Goths without any protection for chest and head and were often beaten by archers” (Doc B).
Author of the New York Times #1 bestseller novel Salt, Sugar, Fat How the Food Giants Hooked Us and a Pulitzer Prize Winner, Michael Moss examines in his novel the correlation between the American diet and processed foods. Michael Moss not only writes about his visits to the infamous food factories but he also cites short accounts of food factory founders and includes the interviews of multiple individuals who have high positions in the processed food industries which he scrutinizes in his novel. He provides the reader with first-hand accounts of individuals who partook in either critiquing the efforts of food industries or were directly involved in the obesity epidemic that has overtaken the American diet.
In this essay, we will look at the causes of the outbreak of Civil War in Rome in 49BC and the reason why Julius Caesar was greatly responsible for it. Although it is clear that Caesar was the main cause of the Civil War, we must not neglect to mention other factors which contributed to it. As such, we will consider whether Caesar’s refusal to give up his armies, the actions of the optimates against the populares or fear of prosecution, led to the war. This essay is, therefore, only concerned with the events leading up to the war and not the specifics of the war itself.
In the third century BCE, Rome engaged in three disastrous and catastrophic wars with Carthage known as the Punic Wars; the last one ending in the complete obliteration of Carthage. Rome won each war, but the result brought more disasters than rewards. Rome was not completely ready for the task that came after; they had not prepared “for their success.” A city located inland of Italy was now challenged with the responsibility of scattered territories off the coast of Italy while, also dealing with increasing strife inside its own city. Roman farmers forced to sell their lands, the rich getting even richer, unemployment, and political corruption are just some of the many problems Rome would have to face.
The Punic Wars changed the way the Romans viewed the world, it created change and caused many difficulties. The biggest change that occurred in Rome was the virtues of Rome. As Sallust stated, the virtues of Rome were destroyed after the Punic War because of the lust for power and for the growing love for money. After conquering many lands, Rome's greed and integrity caused a desire for strength; however, with that strength came evil. In the document, “Decline of the Republic”, we see greed and lust when it states, growing love for money, and the lust for power which followed it engendered every kind of evil.
After the Gallic sack, the Romans had some time for the recovery and expansion, but it also brought some sort of social inequalities and conflicts between the Roman aristocrats and the plebian, which were the Roman commoners. “This period is represented as one of political tension and strife, leading on an attempted coup d’état in 384 and culminating in a period of anarchy in the years around 370.” The major points of contention between the Orders during the Republic were the issues related to “land, debt, and the political rights of the plebeians,” although the main reasons and causes of this conflict were not clearly documented and are still unclear. According to Livy, the main problem was about debt, and he argued that the debt problem
Old decaying temples were also restored by Emperor Augustus, in attempt to rebuild old moral values. Though the rot had already begun to eat away at the Rome’s morals. The historian Tacitus recorded Calgacus, a leader of the Britons, in addressing the Romans, “we kept even our eyes free from the defilement of tyranny today the boundary of Britain is exposed; beyond us lies no nation, nothing but waves and rocks and the Romans, more deadly still than they, for you find in them an arrogance which no reasonable submission can elude”. Calacus continues “They are unique in being as violently tempted to attack the poor as the wealthy. Robbery, butchery, rapine, the liars call Empire; they create desolation and call it peace.
Ineligible citizens were taking from grain stocks intended for poorer citizens and to address this fraud, Caesar issued a census. To spread Rome’s influence, Caesar sent, according to Suetonius (The Lives of Caesars XLII.89) “eighty thousand citizens” to establish colonies abroad and to combat the subsequent depopulation of Rome, a decree was issued by Caesar that men between twenty and forty were not allowed to travel for longer than three years unless serving in the army (Freeman 2008:336-8). Caesar also made strides in internationalising Rome by extending citizenship to professionals who had settled in Rome thus expanding Rome’s middle class. By dismissing members of the senatorial order found guilty of extortion, Caesar undertook to reorganise the senate and as such “…enrolled additional patricians, and increased the number of praetors, aediles, and quaestors, as well as of the minor officials…” (Suetonius The Lives of Caesars
While the first societies were built by man, the rules of every society since have have dictated the actions and beliefs of each individual. In the Roman Society presented in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar is on the verge of being crowned king, and some of his fellow Romans are none too pleased with this. Julius Caesar takes place in ancient Rome in 44 b.c. At this time, Rome was the center of a large empire, but their society had its fair share of problems. Their society gives much of the wealth and power to a select few people while many power-hungry men vie to be absolute leaders.
Madison McDonald Dr. Travis Montgomery ENGL 2213-02 16 March 2018 Violence in The Aeneid The Aeneid is bursting with violent acts from the beginning to the end. The main character, Aeneas, constantly faces conflict from both humans and gods. Aeneas is a Trojan hero and prince who embodies pietas, driven by duty, honor, and devotion, which makes him an example of an ideal Roman citizen. Aeneas was called by the gods and determined to be a successful founder of Rome, but he faced complications along the journey. In each conflict along the way, Aeneas dealt with fighting and violence and could not find peace until the end.
It seems that the fall of the Roman Republic was not a singular event that occurred instantaneously, but rather a long process that saw the increasing use of methods outside of Republican institutions to settle conflicts between members of the aristocracy over political power. Even as the Roman government transitioned form Kingdom to Republic and then to Empire, the competition between aristocratic families remained a relative constant in across the centuries. So too has the desire to mythologize the past. The romans attributed both the fall of the Kingdom of Rome and the fall of the Roman Republic to moral rot, while a more reasonable assessment might place the blame on a dissatisfied and competitive elite class and an inefficient and unresponsive governmental system that was unwilling or unable to address their concerns. In much the same way, modern observers of the Roman Republic have tended to mythologize the fall of the Republic in the service of creating a moral narrative about the unconscionable tyranny of Cesar and the righteousness of the Senate, or whatever alternative narrative is befitting of the historical moment and audience.
He even goes as far as leaving money is his will to be distributed among each Roman in his death. It ends up being his ambition, and the power and loyalty he has accrued through it, that is interpreted as a push toward tyranny, and leads to his death. Caesar’s death is set in motion by Cassius, who is distasteful of Caesar himself. Cassius despises being what he views as a servant to a tyrant and views Caesars actions to be steps toward tyranny.
