Why did the Roman Republic decline?
What
1. Patrician Families and a new class of wealth Romans emerged
after gaining control of trade routes and conquered lands.
Why . . . important
This new wealth is important because it increased greed and
corruption.
The rich became even more wealthy.
This is important because the wealthy had too much money,
which they would spend it unwisely.
2. These wealthy families bought up lots of land and created
Latifundias that were worked by large numbers of slaves,
captured in war.
2/3. The creation of the latifundia and the imported grain is
important because the combination of these two factors made it
impossible for small farmers, who were once the backbone of
Rome, to compete economically.
This is important because the Romans would buy grain from
oversea markets, rather than locally.
2/3. As a result of these new economic realities small farmers
lost their land and in despair they fled to Rome and other cities
searching for work.
4. The attempted reforms are important because if they had been
able to work, Rome might have been able to prevent its decline.
As a result, Rome broke into a civil-war because both sides
couldn’t agree with each other, a key player in the downfall
of Rome.
4. Another reason why the attempted reforms are important is
because it angered the Senate, which saw the reforms as a threat
to its power, and the Gracchus brothers were killed (along with
thousands of their followers) in waves of street violence set off
by senators and their hired thugs.
This is important because the morals and virtues of Rome
changed as well as the different opinions between the rich
and the poor.
4. As a result of the slayings of the Gracchus brothers, it became
clear that Roman Republic was unable to resolve its problems
peacefully.
3. Huge quantities of cheep grain flooded Roman markets from
overseas conquests.
4. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were two young patrician
brothers who attempted to reform the Republic by calling on the
state to distribute land to poor farmers, as well as providing
public funds for the purchase of grain to feed the poor.
The Gracchus brothers wanted to create a middle class in
Rome by giving land to the poor. The rich hated this idea.
With the all of the changes in Rome, it soon lead to its
downfall
Sources:
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http://www.rome.info/history/empire/fall/
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/p/gracchi.htm
As a result . . .
As a result of the greed/corruption, self-interest replaced
traditional Roman virtues such as simplicity, hard work and
devotion to duty that made the early Republic great.
As a result of these declining virtues the wealthy Romans
spent all of their money unwisely leading to the decline of
Rome.
As a result the local Roman economy would suffer because
they are importing more than they are exporting.
As a result of the 100 years of Civil War coupled with the
decline in the traditional Roman virtues that made the Republic
strong the Roman way of life was