Download Comparing Republics

Warm-Up
•What island did Rome get after the first Punic
War?
•Who led the Carthaginians in the second
Punic War? What famous travel method did
they utilize?
•Name the three legislative bodies in the
Roman Republic?
•Name the Judicial branch in the Roman
Republic?
Comparing Republics
Rome
Powers
America
Consuls
EXECUTIVE
President
*Senate
*Centuriate
Assembly
*Tribal Assembly
Praetors
LEGISLATIVE
*Senate
*House of
Representatives
JUDICIAL
Supreme Court
Twelve Tables
LEGAL CODE
Constitution
The Roman Forum
• center of Roman public life (12 Tables were hung here)
• Assembly members would meet outside here to discuss issues and
possible laws
• Where the senate as well as republican government itself began. The
Senate House, government offices, tribunals, temples, memorials
and statues gradually cluttered the area
• One must be a great Orator, speaker, to get themselves heard
The Birth of
the Roman
Empire
The Republic Collapses
•Republic expanded, but it caused problems
•Major problems included;
• Widening gap between the rich and poor
• Wealthy lived on estates called latifundia, slaves
worked these estates and were unhappy
• Soldiers came home with no jobs or land/homes
• Corruption was growing in the government
Attempts to Save Rome
•Two brothers try to solve Rome’s problems
• Suggest that land should be split up
• Both Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus are
killed
•Rome falls into civil war- rich v. poor
•Generals start creating armies
themselves
• No longer care about Rome as a whole
•Power begins to change to the most powerful
instead of the ones chosen
Julius Caesar Comes
•Julius Caesar comes to power with the help
of two other people
• Crassus and Pompey
• Creates a triumvirate- rule by 3 people
•Caesar takes control of Gaul (France)
•He then turns his army on Rome to take
power from Pompey- Pompey flees Rome
•Caesar gained the support of the Romans
• They name him dictator for life in 44 BCE
Julius’ Changes
•Increased citizenship to more Romans
•Created jobs for the poor
•Expanded Senate positions; filled w/ friends
•All these things make Caesar very popular
•Senators begin to worry about his popularity
• Feel they will be losing power/ influence
•Julius Caesar is killed March 15, 44 BCE
• Stabbed by friend Marcus Brutus and others
Life After the Death of Julius Caesar
•Civil war breaks out again after
assassination
• Destroys what is left of the Roman
republic
•Octavian is quick to come into power
• Was Julius’ grand-nephew and adopted
son
•Comes to power with two others-2nd
Triumvirate
• Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus
•The 2nd Triumvirate will end much like
the first
Breakdown of the 2nd Triumvirate
•They took power in 43 BC but quickly fell apart
• Lepidus forced to retire from service by Octavian
• Marc Antony and Octavian begin to fight
•Marc Antony goes to fight in Anatolia
• While there he meets Cleopatra- Queen of Egypt
• Falls in love with her and travels back to Egypt
• Octavian accuses him of trying to rule Rome from
Egypt- some people do not like that idea
•The Battle of Actium (31BC)
• Octavian battles Antony and Cleopatra for control
• Octavian wins; Cleopatra and Anthony commit suicide
Octavian Controls the Empire Alone
•The Roman Empire was now Octavian’s
• He promised to bring back parts of the republic
• He kept the Senate
• Later accepted the title of Augustus or “exalted one”
• Also took title of imperator or Emperor
•Octavian’s rule starts the Roman Empire
• Different from the Roman Republic - only 1 ruler
• He takes power alone in 27 BC
•A new period of peace and prosperity begins
• Pax Romana – means “Roman peace”
• Lasts from 27 BC – 180 AD
Life During the Pax Romana
•Contained 200 wonderful years for Rome
• Had excellent leaders/ emperors
• Plenty of food, jobs and money
• Trade increased as well as the size of the empire
• Had 60-80 million people in the empire
• City of Rome grew to over 1 million people
•Trading became a major part of the empire
• Traded by land to China, India and the Middle East
• Used the Silk Roads to reach into Russia as well
• Roads were built for army, but were also used for trade
• Traded by sea with the protection of the Roman navy
Protecting and Glorifying the Empire
•Defending such a large area was difficult
• Over 10,000 miles of border to protect
•Roman Legion had to depend on support armies
• Armies trained by the Romans
• Got to become citizens when their service was up
•Octavian glorified the empire by…
• Building new buildings
• Using civil servants to collect taxes, mail, and grain
• Stabilizing the empire
• Creating a SILVER coin monetary system
• Called denarius, denaris (plural)
Emperors that followed Octavian
•5 great emperors followed Octavian
•Gave them the great years of the Pax Romana
•There were also some crazy emperors such as
Caligula and Nero - hated the Christians
•Emperors had a plan for when they died
•If they didn’t a civil war could start again
•They picked an heir to the throne before they died
•Marcus Aurelius was the last great emperor
•He does not choose an heir before death
•This leads to the beginning of the fall of Rome