Download Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were a pair of tribunes of the plebs

Name ____________________________________
Ancient Greece: Roman Republic → Roman Empire
Date _______________
Ms. Grey
AIM:
Do Now: Read the passage and answer the question below:
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were a pair of tribunes of the plebs from the 2nd
Century BC, who sought to introduce land reform and other populist legislation in
ancient Rome. They were both members of the Populares, a group of politicians who
appealed to the average citizens and that opposed the conservative Optimates in the
Roman Senate. They have been deemed the founding fathers of both socialism and
populism.
After his first election, Tiberius sought re-election as tribune This was unprecedented
and his opponents claimed that it was illegal and Tiberius was trying to become a
tyrant. On election, violence broke out in the Senate between Tiberius’ followers and
his opponents. Tiberius was beaten to death with wooden chairs and nearly 300 of his
supporters suffered the same fate. These deaths marked a turning point in Roman
history and a long-lasting association between violence and the office of the tribune.
Tiberius was succeeded by his younger brother, Gaius Gracchus, who was also a
social reformer. Under his rule, a law was issued that gave the Senate the power to
declare anyone an enemy of the state and execute him without trial by a jury. A mob
was then raised to assassinate Gaius. Knowing that his own death was imminent, Gaius
committed suicide.
The tribunate of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus began a turbulent period in Rome's
domestic politics, and their careers and untimely deaths emphasize both the strengths
and the weaknesses of the tribunate. In the following decades, the tendency toward
violence became even more clear as numerous tribunes saw their time in office come to
an end with their deaths. Rome was then plagued with a series of civil wars.
Who were the Gracchus brothers?
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______________________________________________________________________ How did the Gracchus brothers contribute to the fall of the Roman Republic?
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______________________________________________________________________ While watching the Video Clip – Ancient Rome: Struggles for Power, make a list of problems that
threatened the Roman government during the period of the Republic (509 to 27 B.C.).
**Reminder – You are generating a list of information that will be used in a short answer question on your
next test, so the more you jot down, the better!
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I. Julius Caesar Takes Control the Republic
A. by 59 B.C., Caesar was elected ______________________
(ends civil unrest and violence in Rome)
B. Caesar, Crassus, & Pompey formed ______________________
→ a group of three leaders/consuls
C. Caesar’s military victories gave him more power, which he used to...
______________________________ ______________
D. by 44 B.C. Caesar became __________________________, made reforms,
but was ____________________ on March 15, 44 B.C.
II. Roman Republic → Roman Empire
Beginning of the Empire
1. in 43 B.C., Caesar’s supporters took control, creating the 2nd Triumvirate
2. Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus (JC’s supporters) = alliance
→ ended in jealousy & violence
3. Octavian defeated rivals Antony & Cleopatra’s forces in the battle of Actium (31B.C.)
4. in 27 B.C., Octavian accepted title of Augustus, “exalted one,” becoming the Emperor
of Rome –
→ Roman Republic officially dies and Roman Empire Is Born!
How did the Republic’s successful conquest and expansion ultimately lead
to its collapse?