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Roman Empire Summary - Costs and Benefits of Expansion
Rome’s first period of expansion occurred during the first centuries of the Roman Republic. For more than two
hundred years, the Roman Republic was involved in nearly constant warfare. At first, the Romans attempted to unify
the Italian peninsula. They did so by signing a treaty with their Latin neighbors to the south and winning wars against
their northern neighbors, the Etruscans. But, Rome’s aggressiveness and desire to control more land meant that there
were more neighbors who viewed Rome as an enemy. In 390 BC, a group known as the Gauls looted the city and burned
most of it down. Rather than giving up or leaving the city, Romans rebuilt their city, surrounded Rome with walls, and
built up their army. By 275 BC, Rome’s conquest of the Italian peninsula was complete, but it came at great cost. As
Rome’s territory grew, the city had to keep a large, permanent army to defend it and the conquered lands. As a result,
more and more Romans were forced to serve in the army. Most of the soldiers from the lower class (plebeians). The
was one reason for tension between the lower and upper classes in Rome. Roman citizens were not the only ones who
paid a price for expansion. The people who were conquered also faced burdens. Although some conquered people
allowed to become citizens, people in other cities were not treated as well. Some conquered people may have earned
the right to trade with Rome while having to pay Roman taxes and supply soldiers for Roman armies.
A second great wave of Roman expansion occurred between 264 BC and 146 BC. The expansion happened as a
result of three savage wars between Rome and its rival from North Africa, Carthage. These wars, known as the Punic
Wars, were battles for control of the Mediterranean Sea and its trade routes. By the end of the last Punic War, Rome
was victorious after 31 years of fighting and burning Carthage to the ground. Now the greatest power in the
Mediterranean region, Rome controlled North Africa, Spain, and Greece. The expanded territory meant Rome could
prosper from expanded trade as well. But, Rome’s victories came at a price. Families mourned for the countless
soldiers who had died in the long wars, and thousands of families had their farms destroyed by Carthaginian armies.
Other farms had been neglected while farmers went off to fight in Rome’s armies. By the time the soldiers returned
home, wealthy landowners had often bought several of these small farms and turned them into large estates. This
process led to greater tension between the rich who were getting richer and the poor who were getting poorer.
Wealthy Romans also adopted many new ideas that came from conquered lands – often from Greece. For example, rich
Romans sometimes competed with one another to build Greek-style homes and beautiful temples.
By 145 BC, Roman conquests had brought great wealth to the city of Rome. But they had also put the
republican form of government under great strain. This strain would ultimately lead to the collapse of the republic and
creation of imperial government, but not before still more wars. Many of the wars during this time were civil wars.
Many residents of Roman provinces resented having to pay Roman taxes and fight in Roman armies without enjoying
the rights of citizenship. In some cases, they rebelled. Rome also had to fight to put down slave revolts. As Romans
conquered other lands, they brought hundreds of thousands of prisoners to Roman lands. They turned them into salves
who labored on farms and in the city. However, with so many slaves to do work, thousands of farmers and laborers had
no jobs. The unemployed crowded into Rome, becoming a mob that a power-hungry, military general could turn into a
private army. Rome’s army produced many such leaders. Generals used their armies to gain fame in far-off lands and
then return to Rome seeking power. One such leader was Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar conquered much of modern-day
France and then marched into Rome with his army. The frightened Senate named Caesar dictator for life. Julius Caesar
viewed Rome as a great empire so he introduced many reforms, like granting citizenship to newly conquered people, to
help it work better. But with Caesar in control, the republican form of government was at an end. In 44 BC, a group of
Senators murdered Caesar in an effort to save their republic. Instead, a true Roman emperor soon emerged to take
Caesar’s place.
Caesar’s murder plunged Rome into a series of civil wars that lasted form more than 10 years. When the
fighting ended, one man stood as the absolute ruler of Rome, Augustus. Augustus is described as the first emperor of
Rome and credited with starting the Roman Empire. Augustus knew that Romans loved the idea of the republic. He told
the people that he was restoring the Senate. Although he brought back the Senate, he kept complete control and gave
no authority to the Senate. Faced with defending such a large empire, Augustus pushed its borders to natural
boundaries: the Rhine and Danube Rivers in the north, the Sahara Desert in the south, and the Atlantic Ocean in the
west. To afford defending this vast empire, a strong economy was needed. The Romans improved harbors, canals, and
roads to improve trade and help goods flow into Rome. Also, Roman coins made trade easier by providing a single
system of currency. Still, keeping the peace cost Romans dearly. Eventually, the empire was so big that it became too
expensive and required too many soldiers to defend.