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Roman Republic
1. Set Up and Function
2. Roman Expansion
3. The Punic Wars
4. Effects of the Conquest
5. Roman Leadership
The Government
• Headed by 2 Consuls
* Chosen each year
* Administrators/Military Leaders
* Made the basic decisions for the government
• Senate- Made up of 300 men
* Chosen for life
* Handled the daily affairs in government
* Advised the consuls
Tribunes
• Tribunes- Government officials who protected
the rights of the plebeians
• All Citizens belonged to the assembly
* Had the power to declare war/peace
• 450 BC- laws were carved into 12 bronze tablets
* Became the future of Roman Law
* The Bronze Tablets
Roman Expansion
•
Once the Romans set up a republic they
worked very hard to protect it
To Prevent Attack from the Etruscans:
1. Crossed the Tiber River
2. Conquered more Etruscan Cities
3. Conquered surrounding peoples or made
alliances with them
** By 275 BC Rome ruled the entire Italian
Peninsula
Why Were the Romans So Strong?
Strong and Respected Roman Army:
1. Organized into legions (groups of soldiers)
* contained 5,000 soldiers each
* Legionnaires- smaller groups of soldiers
Advantages:
1. Moved much faster
2. Attacked from all angles
3. Well trained/specialized
4. Easier to supply
The First Punic War
• In 264 BC the Romans and Carthaginians Clashed
* These conflicts = Punic Wars
* Lasted 23 total years
• Carthage = strong navy/ Rome = strong army
* Rome created an navy
Corvus- movable bridges on their ships
* Allowed men to board ships and fight hand to hand
combat
** End Result- Rome wins the First Punic War and Carthage
leaves Sicily by 241 BC
The Second Punic War
•
Second Punic War begins in 218 BC
•
Hannibal Barca leads the Carthaginians against the Romans
Hannibal’s Strategy
1.
Surprise attack from the North (through Spain and France and
through the Alps)
2.
Brought Elephants to help get over snow covered mountains
3.
Reached the edge of Rome and prepare to fight
End Result- Carthage could not defeat the Romans
* Ran out of supplies/unprepared
* Hannibal roams central Italy attacking cities and towns
* The Romans attack Carthage, defeat Hannibal
** 201 BC- Carthage pays Rome large sums of money and gives up all
its territories to the Romans
The Third Punic War
•
After the Second Punic War there was a period of
peace that lasted 50 years
•
Carthage gains strength and seeks revenge
To Prevent Another Long Battle:
1. Rome attacks Carthage in 149 BC
2. Rome destroys the Carthaginians
3. Conquers other territories (Corinth, Macedonia and
Syria)
** End Result- Rome now controls most of Greece and is
the leading power in the Mediterranean World
Effects of Conquest
• Replaced small farms w/ large estates
• Introduce slavery
• People moving from farms to cities
(urbanization)
• Decline of the Roman Republic (New form
of Government soon to develop)
Agricultural Changes
•
Small farms were replaced by larger ones
•
Latifundias- large estate farms
* Produced Sheep, cattle and crops
* Wheat was imported from Northern Africa
and Sicily
Reasons for using Latifundias:
1. Invasion of Hannibal caused setbacks
2. Able to use large amounts of slave labor
From Farms to Cities (Urbanization)
•
Many people who sold their small farms
had no choice but to live in Rome
Living Conditions:
1. Small cramped apartments
2. Terrible living conditions
3. No connection to aqueducts
(No running water or sewer)
Roman Leadership
The Reformers:
1. Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus- first reformer
* Wanted to limit land ownership
* Better conditions for the poor
* Killed trying to run for second term
2. Gaius Gracchus- replaced his older brother as a
reformer
* Extended many of Tiberius’ ideas
* Major problem- too much free wheat to poor
** Eventually he was also killed in 121 BC
The Generals
• 107 BC- General Gaius Marius became
consul
* military hero
* set up a professional army
* opened joining the army to everyone
** Hurt the Roman Republic because there was
no loyalty to the government, only loyalty to
the generals who hired them
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
• Competitor of Marius
* both were jealous of one another
* wanted military power
• Marius leads an army to attack Rome
* Civil War breaks out
* Sulla proclaims himself a “Dictator”
* believed absolute rule was necessary
Julius Caesar Takes Over
•
When Sulla retired a Triumvirate took over
* 3 ruling people commanding Rome
* One of these men was Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar:
1.
By 58 BC was a governor of a Roman province
2.
2. By 46 BC was dictator of Rome
Reforms:
1.
Founded new colonies over seas (expansion)
2.
Building projects (roads, sewer, creating jobs)
3.
Planned and paid for Gladiatorial games (morale boost)
4.
Adopted a new Calendar and gave citizenship to many people
Caesar’s Death- Killed on March 15th (Ides of March)
** People were afraid he would make himself a “King” (too much power)
End of the Republic
The Decline:
1. Farmers were losing their land
2. Great gap between the rich and the poor
3. Heavy taxes levied to citizens
4. Corruption within the Government
The Fall of the Republic:
1. Much anger and frustration after Caesar’s death
2. Marc Anthony, Octavian and Lepidus established equal
rule (divided Italy into 3 sections)
** Triumvirate worked initially- fighting eventually broke out
** By 31 BC- Octavian was in sole control of Rome