Term Paper On Caesar: A Legend Of Leadership

Julius Caesar lived from approximately 44 to 100 B.C. and brought power, organization, and reform to the Roman Republic turning it into the Roman Empire, and laying a foundation for success for centuries to come. Caesar was not born into power, but gained ultimate power through his military and political prowess. Caesar approached leadership in a way that had never been done before by listening to the people’s needs, and bringing them prosperity. He changed policies and took actions that were innovative at the time, and became a hero to the people as he brought power and authority to the nation. Due to his revolutionary leadership, Caesar was revered for hundreds of years and his name was used as the title of the Roman emperor.
Caesar was very ambitious and listened to the fears and needs of the people to gain power. When the Roman people were afraid of another invasion by Gallic warriors Caesar strategically gained leadership of an army of soldiers, and launched a campaign against the Gallic army. Caesar truly gained the love of the people by never losing a war, and expanding the reach and authority of the Roman Republic. He was an excellent military leader, but he did not necessarily use innovative new tactics. Instead, Caesar relied on the skills of his soldiers and his own ability to motivate them as their leader. When a battle would reach a critical point Caesar would take a shield, move to the front line, speak to soldiers by name, and yell encouragement to the army. He would let all of the soldiers see him in the front lines leading the attack personally, and they would fight even harder. Caesar was a bold and decisive general who was not afraid to take risks to win and overthrow the odds against him, and he conquered territory after territory for Rome. Victory after victory, and a lack of defeat showed Caesar’s successful military leadership.
After expanding the authority of the Roman Republic he returned a military hero, and had the love of the people on his side as he made his move toward his political ambitions. His former ally, Pompey, and the Roman Senate were already afraid of Caesar’s expanding power and ordered him to leave his army and return as an ordinary citizen. The Senate had always been at odds with the Roman people and learned their mistake when Caesar returned with his army and fought for the people. After driving Pompey out of Rome, Caesar followed him from place to place until finally destroying his army. He knew that if the army was allowed to regrow they would return and threaten the leadership he was about to claim. Caesar also knew how to choose his battles, however, and when he followed Pompey to Egypt he made an alliance with them. As well as having an affair with Cleopatra, Caesar fought a couple of battles for Egypt to strengthen the alliance.
Caesar also gained respect and loyalty by rewarding the loyalty of those who followed him. When he brought his army back to Rome he gave his troops farms and property from the lands he had conquered, overcoming resistance from the Senate to do so, and supplying food for the Roman people. When he returned to Rome Caesar was made dictator for life, and finally gained the power of ultimate leadership that he had always strived for.
As dictator, Caesar immediately used his power for the good of the Roman people, rather than using his leadership to suppress or simply profit from them. He relieved debt, changed the Senate to be a better representation of the people, reorganized local government, and rebuilt two city-states that had been destroyed by leaders before him. He insisted on fairness between the nobility and the masses by putting rent controls into practice and taxing everyone equally, regardless of their income. In all of his reform he was conscientious in solidifying his power by putting allies in the Senate in exchange for their support, and he always spoke first at assemblies.
Caesar also knew how to advertise himself as a leader to his people. He funded gladiator games as entertainment available to everyone. He gained popularity during his climb to power by giving free grain to anyone who needed it. Caesar also earned respect and support because of his tolerance; he granting citizenship and amnesty to foreigners he had conquered. Some leaders may have been content with dictatorship, but this position just seemed to make Caesar work even harder to bring prosperity to Rome, and make it better than it had ever been. Caesar left behind a legacy of leadership that involved an entirely new relationship with the people he governed.
Caesar’s leadership style was very charismatic due to how he motivated and inspired his people. He was an incredible orator and studied rhetoric to master this skill. Caesar’s persuasive and intellectual skills, as well as his power as a speaker demanded respect. He was intensely charismatic and this helped lend him authority to his leadership by sheer force of will.
Although Caesar was a revolutionary leader, he was not without fault. He was strong in winning over the Roman people, but he used an autocratic leadership style when it came to controlling the Senate. He made the Senate larger and reformed it to increase its representation of the people, but he also placed several people in the Senate who were unconditionally loyal to him. These people were ordered to agree with him in exchange for their political place, and when he made decisions he expected them to be obeyed without question. He proved his skill with rhetoric at public assemblies, but he was passionate about his goals and many Senate members resented his power and reorganization of the nation. His reform benefited the people far more than the Senate. Once, when a Senate member rose to oppose his views, Caesar immediately had the man arrested and imprisoned. This autocratic intolerance of any input from the Senate turned out to be a very decisive weakness because it eventually brought his reign to an end. Caesar gained power through the people, but ostracized the Senate; and it eventually led to his downfall when several Senate members violently assassinated him only about a year after he became dictator.
The way Caesar treated the Senate may not have been the entire reason for his assassination, because many members did not like how much power he had and how much he was using it. However, he showed great political strategy and talent during his rise to power, and showed that he could negotiate with and persuade political allies. Yet he simply refused to compromise or entertains opposition from Senate members who felt like they had a right to be heard, and be a part of making governmental decisions. Demanding uncompromising obedience from the Senate may have been his only notable weakness as a leader, but it is what kept him from being able to implement his power and leadership strengths for very long. He was killed before many of his reforms were put into practice, but his strength of leadership became legendary.
The Roman people were outraged by Caesar’s murder, and attacked the homes of two main assassinators. Caesar’s grand-nephew, Octavian, gathered an army and defeated the troops defending the Senate members. The death of Caesar brought death to the Roman Republic, and gave birth to the Roman Empire as Octavian took the name Augustus, and became the first Roman Emperor. Caesar’s policies remained in practice for generations, and the steady improvement of the Roman Empire resulting from his rule was a testament to his incredible leadership.