Download Price Jana Price Ms. Bergen/Mrs. Downer English 10-6/Latin II

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Jana Price
Ms. Bergen/Mrs. Downer
English 10-6/Latin II-3
10 November 2011
From Crumbling Republic to Glistening Empire
After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Rome dissolved into chaos with only one man
possessing the power to bring Rome back to her glorious reign over the Mediterranean. That
man was the illustrious, yet arrogant Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian Augustus. Octavian Augustus
revitalized the politics of Rome during the crumbling of the Roman Republic. The foundations
of the Empire rose from the ruins of the Republic and went on to create Rome’s greatest rule
over herself, and her surroundings in history. Octavian, its’ first emperor, would lead Rome to
far greater heights than the Republic could have ever provided for her.
Firstly, Rome’s government had become dysfunctional since the 100s BC, but Julius
Caesar’s death made the Republic complete chaos. During the last years of this political
condition, politicians had developed illegal ways to gain political power. With so much
corruption in the government, the Republic could never function again as the governing body of
Rome. Before Caesar died, he knew that the government was soon going to fail. Referencing
what ancient historians have written, it seems that Caesar was planning on reforming the
Republic to a monarchy; the very thing the Romans feared most.
People of Caesar’s time
thought “Did Caesar intend to destroy the Republic? Plutarch, the Greek biographer and
religious mystic, writing about 150 years after the event, believed that Caesar had planned it
from the beginning and must have been helped by the gods” (Holland 37). Caesar’s plan was
thwarted by his unexpected assassination. He left Octavian as his heir to continue with his
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reform. This brought Rome whole new ideas on how a government could work with one man
instead of many. Another issue that plagued Rome was her rapid expansion. Too much land,
people, and plunder had come into her possession, and the infrastructure of the government could
not cope with such rapid changes. Corruption thrived in such conditions, which left the Republic
and its reputation in tatters. Had Octavian never come into the higher political positions forged
by Caesar, Rome would have still converted to another political rule. Even with Caesar dead, the
Roman Republic was a faulty past attempt at unity and needed to be rid of in order for Rome to
move on to greater conquests (Holland 37). This form of government had worked for years, but
Rome herself had changed, so had her people, and it was time to restructure politics to fit these
new circumstances. Although, the ideals of the government were held strong in the minds of the
senators, believing that the current political situation could be preserved, the changing status of
Rome told otherwise. The Republic dissolved, leaving Rome without a true leader and a
political structure to support her.
Consequently, the Republic turned to dust and the foundations of the new government
were set. Many other forms of political power were considered for Rome once the senators had
wrapped their minds around the idea of the Republic being bust. The Democracy of Athens, the
Empire of Persia, the Kingdoms of Ancient Europe, and the Tyrannies of Corinth were all
viewed as models to rebuild Rome’s government. The situation was “ if the fact that such rulers
can make others rich, or save their lives, or bestow many other blessings upon them – or for that
matter insult them and do harm to anyone they please…he is utterly wrong in his conclusion”
(Dio 95). The Roman people, senators, and historians contemplated what they could do to
ensure the stability of the government without creating a king. Meanwhile, Octavian, Mark
Anthony, and Lepidus all met together for the first time to form their own alliance to avenge
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Caesar’s death and secure their own political positions. Little did they know that they were
setting up a new way to change the government with their triumvirate for constituting the state
(Eck 15). The foundation for a new line of rule was established and ready for completion.
Even then, the new government only needed to be established so that it could rule Rome
and bring her back to her once prosperous state. The ideals for a new system were in place, and
they would need to be developed over the early years to create an Empire (Holland 77).
However, the Empire was missing something, a ruler, one who could bring the new government
to power without destroying Rome. The senators searched for a leader who would not embody
the same selfish ideals as Julius Caesar. Octavian was in fact the heir to Julius Caesar’s power,
but Mark Anthony stood in his way. Anthony had assumed the consulship since Julius Caesar’s
assassination, but was not very popular with the citizens of Rome due to the fact that he was not
Julius Caesar’s rightful successor. Octavian on the other hand, had support from many
influential people, who were willing to do anything to see Octavian assume Julius Caesar’s
throne. Octavian Augustus’ better standings with the people can be attributed to when “in
Antonius’ absence, Octavian used his position in Italy to [his] great advantage, steadily building
a faction, extending his influence, and consolidating his power” (Holland 80). Octavian now had
to win back the position that he had inherited from Caesar in order to complete the creation of
Rome’s Empire. However, Mark Anthony posed as a great threat with his prodigious alliances
in Egypt. Octavian declared war on Mark Anthony, who had fled to his beloved Egypt, to
avenge Julius Caesar and claim his legitimate title. The war was the final decisive factor in Mark
Anthony’s complete loss of Roman popularity. Octavian’s forces crushed Anthony’s, so Mark
Anthony and his lover, Cleopatra, committed suicide, leaving Octavian his lawful title. With
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their deaths, Octavian also gained power over the renowned lands of Egypt. Rome’s quest for a
great leader to protect her was over.
However, Octavian wasn’t done building up his political power, nor was his expansion of
the Empire completed. Although Octavian was going to rule the empire, “Octavian had never
been consul or led an army…Octavian owed everything to a name. That name was ‘Caesar’”
(Southern 67). With Caesar’s death always haunting him, Octavian made plans to gain all power
without allowing the people of Rome to have any reason to see him assassinated. He used his
influence during his consular years and gave the authority back to Rome as all other leaders had
done before when they had finished their reign. Octavian was not daft though, he made sure that
while he had the power to command, he made extraordinary changes to improve the government.
By doing so, the senate gave him special powers including consular power for life, tribunician
power for life, the highest religious status, and he became the “Father of the Country.” He also
received the greatest of all of his names, Augustus, which is defined as “sacred.” Even though
he made many great improvements to Rome, and “Augustus may have ruled alone, there was
never an Emperor Augustus. None of his contemporaries could have summed up in a single
word what his position really meant” (Southern 113). Octavian utilized the Roman peoples’
faith in the name Caesar to hide the real means of his plans for Rome. Octavian, a constantly
sick man, ascended the throne, promising Rome’s people a rise of the Republic through the
revitalization of old laws. He created so much for Rome, and the glory he had received by the
end of his life and reign went to his head.
Finally, Octavian left Rome something entirely new that would last for hundreds of years.
The Empire would keep Rome safe and stabilize her for centuries to come. Constantly changing
consuls would never hinder the Roman population again. More or less the Empire greatly helped
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Rome gain back her former glory with more power than the Republic ever had. Rome expanded
greatly, not only under Octavian’s rule, but also under the control of emperors that followed him.
Octavian once stated “I found Rome built of Clay: I leave it to you in marble” (Dio 245).
Octavian knew he had left Rome greatly improved and he understood how much it would help
her to prosper as she grew older in the ancient world. Nevertheless, the first emperor’s love of
his own accomplishments did not end with his own self-satisfied thinking. Octavian wrote down
all of his accomplishments in the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (The Accomplishments of the Divine
Augustus), which was found in his will. He wrote this down so that Rome would never forget
everything that he had done to make her glorious again. Octavian Augustus left Rome with new
hope for ruling the Ancient Mediterranean world.
In the end, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian Augustus was a man of many names and great
deeds, who redeveloped Ancient Rome to her greatest grandeur. The foundations of the new
empire were built upon the crumbled stone of the Roman Republic with Octavian gluing the
marble pieces back together to create a new government. This Empire lasted for centuries and
brought Rome to her most influential rule in history. Octavian Augustus was from then on
always remembered as the man who became emperor by “rebuilding” a Republic.
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Works Cited
Dio, Cassius. Roman History. Trans. John Carter. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 1987. Print.
Eck, Werner. The Age of Augustus. Trans. Deborah Lucas Schneider. Munchen: Verlag C.H.
Beck, 2003. Print.
Holland, Richard. Augustus: Godfather of Rome. United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing, 2004.
Print.
Southern, Pat. Augustus. London: Routledge, 1998. Print.
Wilken, Ulrich. “Octavian After the Fall of Alexandria.” The Journal of Roman Studies.
(1937): 138-144. Print.