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Escobar 1 Caitlyn Escobar Mrs. Downer/ Ms. Bergen English 10-4/ Latin II-7 10 November 2011 Gaius Julius Caesar During his life, Gaius Julius Caesar was influential in many different aspects. The events that took place in his life were important to Rome because he helped with the transition from a republic to an empire due to his determination and perseverance. Because of Caesar’s desire for power, he removed Rome from its usual routine and made them realize his viewpoint on improving Rome’s position. Julius Caesar affected society in the Roman Republic by contributing to the change in culture from the Republic to the Empire while expanding the borders and strengthening his power. Julius Caesar affected the way of culture in Rome, which partly contributed to the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. One example of the transition was the way he treated his men in battle. Some said “he valued his soldiers neither for their personal character nor for their fortune, but solely for their prowess, and he treated them with equal strictness and indulgence; for he did not curb them everywhere and at all times, but only in the presence of the enemy” (Suetonius sec. 65). Caesar’s troops began to respect him as their general, which developed a friendship between them. They also learned to protect him because of this certain relationship. Before Caesar, generals were demanding and domineering Escobar 2 over their troops, but Caesar was an exception to this custom. He did not believe that being controlling was necessary, therefore he changed the relationship between general and soldier. This caused the force to respond in a way that made them fight stronger for their general, unlike the mercenaries of other countries who were paid to fight and were not patriotic. Caesar helped change the way of culture by equalizing himself with his soldiers and fighting alongside them in battle. Caesar also contributed to the change in culture by giving speeches. He once gave a speech for his aunt, Julia, at her funeral. At that time, it was not common to speak at women’s funerals. Plutarch himself said “after the death of his aunt, Julia, the wife of Marius, he [Caesar] made a brilliant public speech in praise of her in the forum, and was bold enough to display in the funeral procession images of Marius himself” (Fall of the Roman Republic 247). It helped Romans notice that it was kind to give acknowledgements to a person who moved on. This also was the beginning of his excellent speeches, which eventually grew to influence others in the Roman Republic. Caesar wanted power, and to obtain it he slowly worked to become popular and used his eloquent speaking skills to convince people to see his way and what he wanted. This affected the Roman people by changing their perspective to Caesar’s because it seemed like the better plan for the country. Caesar helped changed the culture of the Republic by giving powerful speeches and therefore changing the rest of Rome to think his way. Julius Caesar increased Roman territory and strengthened the borders. When Germany decided to attack Rome, Caesar acted quickly, and decided to attack first. This led to the expansion into the north. It is described that “Caesar added a nobler still, that of settling those of the Barbarians who has escaped alive from them, and compelling them to resume the Escobar 3 territory which they had abandoned and the cities which they had destroyed” (The Parallel Lives sec. 18). This was a victory and an accomplishment for both the Roman army and Republic. Since Rome was paranoid of being invaded and controlled by other countries, they needed a strong army to be able to protect themselves. By doing this, they expanded their borders and became stronger. Another achievement they made was when they crossed the Rhine. The event was planned as “they were signally routed, and Caesar pursued them a distance of four hundred furlongs, as far as the Rhine, and filled all the intervening plain with dead bodies and spoils” (The Parallel Lives sec. 19). This special expansion helped Rome in defending the country because the position gave them an advantage. This told other territories that Rome was becoming a strong country with a secure army. The Roman society and military improved when Rome expanded because it was becoming stronger which was part of Caesar’s plans to improve Rome’s position as a country. Caesar increased the Roman expansion by succeeding in acquiring the Rhine and spreading the borders. Julius Caesar had a love for power as he became more popular and influential in Rome. Once he knew that he was significant in the Roman society, Caesar decided to make decisions with the laws of Rome. According to Suetonius, “Caesar, in his fourth dictatorship…desired ‘to reduce the civil law to a fixed limit…[and] to collect all the best and necessary ones into very few books’” (Coleman-Norton 24). Caesar had a desire for power and it began to grow into something virtually uncontrollable. By scaling the laws to a smaller degree, this affected the society by informing the people that Rome was focused on the necessary laws. Caesar wanted to step up the social ladder because he wanted to be influential and powerful to Rome. The reason for this action was to improve the Roman Republic and, by doing this, he eventually felt Escobar 4 that Rome would benefit with him being the dictator. Since his actions prove him to be trustworthy and sufficient to be the dictator, the Roman people blithely agreed. Julius Caesar contributed to the Roman society by narrowing down the laws of the Republic to the most important ones. Julius Caesar also worked to become significant in Rome. He went to drastic measures to receive what he wanted. An example of those actions was when he married into the high social class. As a first step, “his family improved its position by marrying into the plebeian nobility” (Taylor 10). By marrying Cornelia, it gave him a way to enter into the spot of nobility where he can become known and popular. This helped him achieve the influential roles in government and therefore became able to manipulate Rome’s decisions. But since the government focused on more than one person ruling at one time, it was a repetitive obstacle that blocked Caesar’s power. After successful events that pleased the Roman people he ultimately reached the title dictator, which gave him more power than a consul. Caesar made plans to increase his popularity by first marrying into nobility so that he could control Rome for himself. Julius Caesar was influential in many ways. He affected Roman society by helping the transformation of the culture of Rome from the Republic to the Empire. He expanded the borders while strengthening both Rome and his powers over it. Caesar helped contribute to the transition of narrowing down the important laws and solidifying them. He also introduced new customs for the good of the Roman people. Caesar expanded the borders and achieved in acquiring the Rhine. After deciding his purpose, he finally carried out his goal of developing power in Rome. With the help of his eloquent speaking skills, soldier-general relationship, and Escobar 5 having most of Rome on his side, Caesar’s dream of becoming the most powerful had been fulfilled. Escobar 6 Works Cited Coleman-Norton, P.R. “Gaius Julius Caesar and the Roman Law”. The Classical Weekly 50.2 (1956): 24-26. Print. Plutarch. Fall of the Roman Republic. New York: Penguin Classics, 1958. Print. Plutarch. The Parallel Lives, The Life of Julius Caesar. Thayer, Bill. n.d. Web. 2 October 2011. Suetonius. The Lives of the Caesars, The Life of Julius Caesar. Thayer, Bill. n.d. Web. 2 October Taylor, Lily Ross. “The Rise of Julius Caesar”. Greece and Rome 4.1 (1957): 10-18. Print.