Download Chapter 5 Section 2

Chapter 5
Section 2
The price of success
•Roman military
success increased the
wealth of Roman
citizens at home.
• social and
economic
consequences.
Consequences of wealth
•The rich got richer while the poor got poorer
•Wealthy families bought up huge estates, called
latifundia, worked by captured slaves
•This essentially put small farms out of business
Consequences of wealth
•“mob”
•This further increased the gap between the
rich and the poor
•Something needed to be done . . .
The Brothers Gracchus
•Two young Patrician brothers named
Tiberius (the older) and Gaius (the younger)
were the first to attempt reforms
The Brothers Gracchus
Tiberius
• Called on the state to
distribute land to
poor farmers
Gaius
•Wished for wider
ranging reforms
•For example- the use of
public funds to buy grain
for the poor
The Beginning of the End
• The Gracchus brothers are eventually murdered
plunging the Roman republic into a period of turmoil
• This showed that the Roman republic was incapable
of changing/adapting to new challenges
• With constant revolts happening throughout
the empire, Rome’s army of citizen soldiers
transformed into a professional military with a
soldiers first allegiance to his commander
Ruling an Empire
The Rise of Caesar
• Out of the chaos comes Julius
Caesar and Pompey the Great
• Caesar and Pompey -together
conquered new lands abroad
and the senate at home.
• Over time, Pompey grew
jealous of Caesar’s growing
success and turns the senate
against him.
•Caesar lead his loyal army
towards Rome and
“crossed the Rubicon
River” – from this point
there was no turning back
•He was now embarking on
a civil war with Pompey
that would change Rome
forever
•Caesar crushed
Pompey and his
supporters.
•He then swept
around the
Mediterranean
suppressing
rebellions.
Caesar’s Reforms
• Program of public works to employ the jobless
• Gave public land to the poor.
• Reorganized the government of the provinces
• Granted Roman citizenship to more people.
• Introduction of a new calendar based on
Egyptian knowledge.
Caesar’s Reign
Beware of the Ides of March
• Fearful of Caesar’s growing power and popularity,
Caesar’s fellow statesmen conspired against him
• In march 44 B.C. they stabbed him to death.
•The death of Julius Caesar plunged Rome
into a new round of civil wars.
Horrible Histories
New power struggles
• Mark Antony was Caesars top general
• Octavian was Caesar’s grandnephew
• These two joined forces to hunt down Caesar’s
murderer (s)
New power struggles
• Like Pompey and Caesar,
Mark Antony and
Octavian soon battled for
power.
• Mark Antony sides with
the famous Egyptian
queen Cleopatra, but is
eventually defeated by the
young, brilliant Octavian
... her fascinating speak, her beautiful voice,
“the skill and acuteness of her speech” ... she
spoke six languages ... she was a smart
negotiant ... and a first order military strategist
Octavian  Augustus
• The senate gave the
triumphant Octavian the
title of Augustus (exalted
one) and declared him
princeps (first citizen).
• Augustus exercised
absolute power but was
careful not to call himself
king.
The Betrayal of Julius
Augustus
•Under Augustus the 500 year old republic
came to an end. A new age had dawned -The age of the Roman empire
Augustus
Augustus
Pax Romana
• The golden age of Rome lasted from
Augustus to Marcus Aurelius
• It is known as Pax Romana or Roman Peace
Pax Romana
• Augustus undertook economic reforms.
• The government that Augustus organized
functioned well for 200 years.
• Still the problem persisted … Who rules
when an emperor, princeps, dictator, ruler,
dies?
•Romans, still hated the idea of a King
(even though basically ruled by one)
•So they rejected the idea of passing down
rule through inheritance (father to son)
• So, when an emperor would die, it would often
be followed by times of violence and warfare
• Augustus was a good emperor, but there were
also bad emperors
• For example …
•Emperor Caligula appointed his favorite
horse as consul.
• Nero viciously persecuted Christians
• and was blamed for setting a great fire that
destroyed much of Rome.
They weren'T all bad …
•Emperor Hadrian – Laws and Walls
•Marcus Aurelius- The last of the “Five
Good Emperors”
•
don’T wriTe:
•Marcus chose his son
Commodus to succeed him.
• This decision was highly
criticized by later historians
since Commodus was a political
and military outsider, as well as
an extreme egotist with neurotic
problems
• Don’t write: Yet, Marcus had
no real other choice because
Commodus was his son and not
choosing him would have sparked
another civil war
•For this
reason,
Marcus
Aurelius'
death is
often held to
have been
the end of
the Pax
Romana.
Other Notable Emperors
• Diocletian – Divides (~300 A.D.)
• Constantine – Christianity (306A.D.)
– Issues the Edict of Milan which proclaims
religious toleration throughout the empire.
– Built up the city of Byzantium
»
Constantinople
»
Istanbul
Golden Age
Roman Society
• Patriarchal.
• Education for both genders
• Roman gods and goddesses
resembled those of the
Etruscans and Greeks
The roles of family and religion
Bread and Circuses
• Throughout the empire rich and poor
alike were entertained by spectacular
shows.
• This is where gladiator contests
became popular.
• During these shows – often taking place
at The Coliseum – the emperor would
give out bread
How do you think the
founders of the Roman
republic would have
viewed the Roman
empire ?