Download GL 231 Assessment essay Caesar became dictator of Rome and set

GL 231 Assessment essay
Caesar became dictator of Rome and set about to improve Roman government
and administration. Explain what constitutional powers Caesar acquired, what
reforms he attempted and evaluate the reasons behind his murder. Were they
justified?
Julius Caesar had become the most powerful man in Rome by the end of 49BC. As
such, he had acquired many unprecedented constitutional powers, which he used to
improve Roman government and administration, and attempt many reforms, both
social and political. However it was his increasingly autocratic, arrogant behaviour
that led to his murder by senators in 44BC.
Caesar monopolised many of the constitutional powers that previously the senators
had shared among themselves. He had the sole right to command armies, allocate
finances from Rome’s treasury and to speak first in the senate, amongst others. He
also had the power to appoint magistrates for as short or long a time as he wished.
This power was highlighted by Cicero in a letter, where he stated “Caesar appointed
as consul a man to hold office until…the following morning! No one even had lunch.”
The fact that Caesar acquired these powers meant that the senator’s own power was
diminishing. This, along with Caesar’s stated belief that “the republic was nothing, a
mere name without form or substance,” (according to Suetonius) made Caesar very
unpopular with some senators especially the optimate faction, and were two
contributing factors to his murder.
Caesar’s political reforms also didn’t please the senators very much. He could see that
the current system for governing Rome and its provinces was no longer working and
took steps to improve it. The senate was increased from 600 to 900 members, and
some prominent provincials were admitted. Senate numbers were kept up by
increasing the number of magistrates, appointed by Caesar, which created a senate
largely loyal to him. This had the effect of making the optimate faction believe their
status was lowered, as there were more senators to share what little power they had
left, and the new senators included ‘inferior’ provincials. It was mainly Caesar’s
political reforms that displeased the optimates; only a few of the social reforms
affected them, such as laws to curb extravagant spending.
The social reforms however did affect the common people of Rome, usually to their
benefit. Caesar recognized that there were many social problems in Rome that had
steadily been getting worse for the last few decades that needed to be dealt with.
Italian government became more organized with major towns being set up with their
own senate and magistrates. Colonies were set up in the provinces for veteran soldiers
and the unemployed urban poor of Rome. Both of these reforms led to the provinces
becoming more Romanized, and an increase in the standard of living. Caesar also felt
that the provincials had rights and did not exist solely for Roman extortion, so limited
the tenure of provincial governors to one or two years to keep corruption under
control. The problem of mass unemployment was addressed by a law stating that one
third of workers on farms had to be free men, not slaves. The standard of living
increased for the common people in Rome, Italy and the provinces during Caesar’s
time in power.
The reasons for Caesar’s murder were largely based on senatorial discontent with his
taking away much of the upper class’s power and treating them as inferiors. Caesar
had taken many of the constitutional powers for himself, and also decorated himself
with many honours and titles that, in Suetonius’ opinion, “as a mere mortal he should
have refused.” His increasingly arrogant behaviour also seemed to belittle the
senators, such as when the entire senate had come to present him with along list of
honours they had voted him, he did not rise to greet them. When Caesar took the title
dictator perpetuus (dictator for life), the senators thought he would name himself king
next. Rome had not been ruled by kings for nearly five hundred years and the senators
considered it their right to rule. The senators who conspires to assassinate Caesar
believed that the Republic would revert back to how it was before Caesar came into
power, with the senate in charge. Thus on the Ides of March, 44BC, Caesar was
stabbed to death by senatorial conspirators.
The senators had lost much of their political power and privileges, but for the
common people life had improved, albeit slightly. Caesar’s reforms had created
employment, relocated some of Rome’s urban poor and reduced exploitation of the
provinces. To the commoners Caesar was something of a hero, and they were not glad
to see him dead. The conspirators claimed they were defending the republic with his
death but in reality they only wanted to take back the power and privilege they had
enjoyed before Caesar came into power. C. Matius states in a letter that the
conspirators acted “as if they had already proved that his death was beneficial to the
res publica”, however Caesar’s death only created a power vacuum in Rome which
then led to another civil war between Mark Antony and Octavian.
Caesar brought change to the republic and although the upper classes of Rome often
didn’t like the change, their reasons for his murder were not justified as they were
only thinking of the power and privileges they had lost and further stood to lose.
Caesar used the constitutional powers he appointed himself to improve the republic
with his social and political reforms, which raised the standard of living for the poorer
people in Rome. Caesar’s political changes enabled his heir, Octavian, to create the
Roman Empire, which was to last for over 200 years.