The Roman Republic:
Decline and Fall
Roman Expansion (p.17)
1. What groups threatened the security of
Roman before the Punic Wars?
2. What types of losses did the Romans sustain
during the Punic Wars?
3. How did the Conquest of Gaul make the city
of Rome more secure?
Punic Wars
• Rome vs. Carthage (264-146BC)
Julius Caesar (p.16)
• Why was Caesar described as a man of
contradictions?
• What actions did Caesar take to help the
common people of Rome?
• Why did members of the Senate assassinate
Caesar in 44 BC?
Patricians?
Plebeians?
Left Out
Men with lots of
money and land
Peasant farmers
and craftsmen
Women
Slaves
Citizens?
Men who could:
Vote, pay taxes, and fight
Clients
Allies
Assembly?
The two classes of citizens met here and
voted for the following groups
Two Consuls?
•Governed the City.
•One year term
•Both had to agree to
make a decision
Magistrates?
•Looked after Rome’s money.
•Served as judges
•Retired Magistrates
•Gave advice to Consuls
•Ended up controlling Rome
Tribunes?
Protected ordinary
people against
unfair treatment
Senate?
Adapted from schoolhistory.co.uk
Key Words
• Citizen: Roman adult men who could: vote,
pay taxes, and fight in the legions.
Key Words
• Legion: a muster of 5,000 Roman citizens
prepared to fight.
Key Words
• Dictator: An emergency leader elected for 6
months that has absolute power in military
and government.
Reasons the Roman Republic
Declined and Fell
• Demagogues
• Wealth & Corruption
• Expansionism
• Evolution of Military
Demagogues
• Demagogue: an ambitious politician who
appealed to the common people for support
in order to increase their own power.
Demagogues
• Client: a Roman who is dependant on a
wealthy and powerful politician. Clients could
get loans, special political favors, business
contracts, and legal defense from the
politicians who supported them. In return, the
clients would vote for their politician in
elections.
Patricians?
Plebeians?
Left Out
Men with lots of
money and land
Peasant farmers
and craftsmen
Women
Slaves
Citizens?
Men who could:
Vote, pay taxes, and fight
Clients
Allies
Assembly?
The two classes of citizens met here and
voted for the following groups
Two Consuls?
•Governed the City.
•One year term
•Both had to agree to
make a decision
Magistrates?
•Looked after Rome’s money.
•Served as judges
•Retired Magistrates
•Gave advice to Consuls
•Ended up controlling Rome
Tribunes?
Protected ordinary
people against
unfair treatment
Senate?
Adapted from schoolhistory.co.uk
Populares vs. Optimates
Caesar
Populares: Demagogues who look to the
plebian s, or common citizens, for support.
They built huge networks of clients among
the plebeians, by trading favors and
supporting popular reforms.
Sulla
Optimates: Conservative patrician politicians
who supported government in the hands of the
patricians (people who had a stake in the financial
and political success of the Republic). They built
networks of clients among young and ambitious
politicians in order to maintain the status quo.
Wealth & Corruption
• The continuous military expansion of the
Republic brought a continuous flood of slaves,
plunder, and trade into Rome.
• Whoever could control this flow of wealth
could control the course of Roman politics.
• Whoever controls the government can give
out favors to build support.
Wealth & Corruption
• Way to control the flow of wealth:
– Get a military command
– Become governor of a province
• The Roman Republic experiences a series of
successful military commanders who seize
control as dictators.
Marius
Sulla
Caesar
Wealth and Corruption
• Wealth is used to breed political corruption in
Roman politics.
• Populares built networks of clients to put
them in power
• Optimates built networks of clients to protect
their traditional power.
• This leads to lots of political violence, riots,
political gangs, assassinations, and civil wars.
Roman Expansionism
•Financing the politics of Roman is dependant on the
continual flow of new wealth into Rome.
•This leads to a tireless conquest and expansion of
Roman power in the last century of the Roman
Republic.
Roman Expansionism
Caesar as Governor of Gaul
• After a decade of amazing
military achievement,
Caesar conquered all of
Gaul
• The Senate became scared
by his growing power and
recalled him as an outlaw
Changes in the Military
• Why were the soldiers ready to follow Caesar but not
Pompey?
Changes in the Military
• Rome got too big to be governed effectively by a
Republican government
• It began using military governors to govern it’s
provinces. This was a natural place for ambitious
leader to come to power.
• As the Roman legions expanded, there were not
enough citizens.
• The Roman soldier changed from a volunteer
Roman citizen, to a paid career soldier.
• Who are you loyal to? Some distant Republic? Or
a commander that brings you glory and riches?
Legacy of Julius Caesar
• After victory became
Dictator-for-Life
• Assassinated by political
rivals
• Rome descends into 20
years of civil war.
• Republic is dead
• Roman Empire is founded
bring 200 years of peace
and 400 years of
domination
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Caesar, Legions, and the Late Republic Interactive Video Lecture
Using the Life of Julius Caesar to understand the following themes:
Roman Expansionism
Decline of Republic
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Video Breakdown
Intro (0:00-2:18)
Demagogues (3:18-6:03
Wealth and Corruption in Politics (6:04-8:35)
Roman Expansionism (9:00-9:38)
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How big is Rome?
How did it get so big?
The Showdown – Evolution of the Military (36:11-38:04)
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Demagogues
Wealth & Corruption
Expansionism
Evolution of Military
Roman Citizenship/Allies/Clients
Why were the soldiers ready to follow Caesar but not Pompey?
Death of the Republic (38:04-39:51)
Skip beheading of Pompey
Legacy of Caesar and Beginning of Empire(42:32-44:30)
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What legacy did Julius Caesar leave?
What changed under the early empire?