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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.