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Why Did Julius Caesar Break The Law Essay

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Julius Caesar was a political and military leader whose reign marked the beginning of the Roman Empire and the end of the Roman Republic. Caesar did not always follow the law to get the power that he obtained. Caesar once stated, “If you must break the law, do it to seize power; in all other cases, observe it.”
If Caesar saw a way to get power, he took the opportunity even if it meant breaching the law. On January tenth forty-nine BC, Julius Caesar broke a Roman law by crossing the Rubicon River. People were not allowed to bring any part of their army into Italy, and once this act was done, they lose their right to rule their own province. Caesar did this knowing that he and any man who followed him was now subject to execution if he failed in his goals. When news came to Rome that Caesar was coming with his army, senators and their consuls fled Rome unaware that their army outnumbered the one coming. Once a four-year fight with the armies was over, Caesar became the Dictator of the new Roman Empire. This is one example of …show more content…

Aung San Suu Kyi is another example for breaking the law to help her people obtain power. She helped to found the National League for Democracy in Myanmar while under military-rule. The punishment for this law breaking was fifteen years under house arrest. Aung San is known by her people as a symbol of peaceful resistance and power while her county was facing oppression.
Although Julius Caesar broke the law to start a war while Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi broke the law for peace, all these people broke the law for power. The power that each person desired may have been different, like the power to have free and the power to rule, but have still seized power in their own way. According to Julius Caesar, it is okay to break the law as he stated in the quote “If you must break the law, do it to seize power; in all other cases, observe

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