Rome: From Republic to Empire
The founding of Rome has been embroiled in mythical explanations for many years. However, far from the point, it is important to understand the history of Rome from its various perspectives. As one of the greatest empires of the world, one is most likely to come across the Roman Empire firmly engrained in the rocks of history.
The amazing armies, expansive road networks, and brilliant architectural pieces all point to one of the greatest empires of the world. However, Rome was not always an empire since it existed as a republic at some point in its growth and civilization. This paper will focus on the analysis of Rome from a political perspective. It will focus on the landmark transition that occurred in Rome to shift it from a republic government to an empire (Syme 67).
A republican government is a one that has the rule of an executive power granted to a single individual. A Republic indicates a place that has its supreme authority in the hands of the people. The people, however, entrust their power on the representatives who are chosen through elections. Under the republic, a government is subdivided into branches with each branch holding and controlling a specific role and responsibility.
The subdivisions or branches of government are three, and they include the judicial branch, the legislative branch, and the executive branch. This separation of the branches of government is aimed at creating a system where checks and balances can be affected by the various branches. The legislative branch is composed of an elected senate, the congress, and the House of Representatives. It has the sole role and responsibility of making and amending laws.
The judicial branch, on the other hand, is composed of the Supreme Court and other courts within the judicial system. The role of the judicial branch of government is that it interprets the laws and regulations formulated by the legislative branch. The last branch of government is the executive branch, which is tasked with the role of enforcing the laws made by the legislative branch and implementing policies on behalf of the people.
The analysis of the government and its branches sets a precedent for a better understanding of the shift from a republic state to an empire in the Rome scenario. The birth of the Roman Empire came at a high cost of numerous wars and battles. A number of reforms and years passed that finally resulted in the formation of the Roman Empire (Dubois 67).
The ascension of Julius Caesar into power marked the onset of the shift from Republic to Empire. As a Republic, Rome was run by elected officials who represented the public in the various branches of government. The various branches of government were instrumental in governing a republic and not a vast empire composed of various nations.
On a mission to conquer the then known world, new territories became part of Rome, and this sudden surge of the public was one of the factors that resulted in the shift. The increasing of Rome’s territory marked the onset of a transition from Rome the Republic to Rome the empire (Pollini 18).
The Roman political values were aimed at gaining more territory around the world, which came with a number of challenges. One example would be as the rich begun to buy more land due to the increasing territory, the poor were left to languish in poverty. As a reform against this injustice, acreage of land ownership was formulated, and it did not go down well with the ruling government of that time.
The rampant corruption in the elected officials of the ruling government and individuals of various branches of government was another cause of the onset of change to a new Empire. Initially, the Roman Republic was a founded and governed based on a set of morals and values. As the expansion of the territories ensued, a subsequent reduction in morals and values was noticed in the Republic. The loss of morals and values was tantamount to a loss of the existing form of government since its foundational framework had lost legitimacy (Raaflaub, Kurt, Mark and Bowersock 78).
Power hungry rulers and corruption were the front runners to the imminent transition in Rome. The former military generals grew in might and power even as they controlled more territory over time. In the meantime, the Senate was losing power and growing weaker by the day. The eventual civil war led to the end of the Republic, and the dictatorship took over before the formation of the Roman Empire.
Conclusively, the transition of Rome from a Republic to an empire came as a result of a number of events and stages. Rome transited through tribes, to the republic and finally to an empire. The attainment of the Roman Empire came at a cost of numerous wars and battles for territory, giving life to one of the greatest empires of the world. As a recap, it is important to note that one of the very foundational reasons for the transition was because of the growing territory that the Rome had to rule over.
Works Cited
Syme, Ronald. The Roman Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Internet resource.
Pollini, John. From Republic to Empire: Rhetoric, Religion, and Power in the Visual Culture of Ancient Rome. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Internet resource.
Raaflaub, Kurt A, Mark Toher, and G W. Bowersock. Between Republic and Empire: Interpretations of Augustus and His Principate. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. Print.
Dubois, Muriel L. Ancient Rome: A Mighty Empire. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2012. Print.
