The Republic has fallen

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In the last days of the Republic, its leaders became more and more corrupt. The Republic waged wars for personal gain and profit instead of protecting its citizens. The people had lost their moral way, with no direction. And so the downfall of the Republic was inevitable, so the conventional story of the last days of the Roman Republic went.

Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius, and Marcus Crassus struggled to best each other. In their thirst for power, they maneuvered and backstabbed each other. History allows us the benefit of knowing Caesar won. But his victory against the two senior members of the triumvirate was not so clear to their contemporaries. But then, why did Caesar’s own soldiers turn on him after the deaths of Pompey and Crassus?

Caesar's men had fought to save the Republic, not let it crumble at the hands of a tyrant. But the dictator Caesar committed many atrocities that showed his low opinions for the traditions of Rome and the venerable Senate. Caesar flaunted his position by not even rising up to meet a member of the Senate.

Worse, Caesar disrespected the high offices of Rome. In the Roman Republic, the most powerful elected officials were the consuls, of which there were only two. Consuls held military commands and could not be put on trial while they held that office. They served for only a year, and traditionally they could not serve in that capacity again until several years had lapsed. But at the end of one year during Caesar's reign, one of the consuls died the day before elections. Caesar, in his infinite wisdom, appointed a consul for a day according to his dictatorial powers instead of letting the office remain empty.

Caesar had turned the consulship into a lollipop, to be given at his whim.

And there lies the rise of Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators. They could not respect a man who so easily dismissed the familiar forms of ancient Rome. The rest is history (or a well read Shakespearan play).

It would be another Caesar who would learn from the lessons of Julius and turn the Republic into Empire.

In today's terms, I guess one of the lessons that the United States learned is that certain high level positions in the government should not be given away. Hence, the need for filibusters.

Comments

[bonerici.livejournal.com]

one more thing there is ONE and ONLY ONE reason for the fall of the republic, if you study the history texts it all becomes crystal clear.

It has nothing to do with the degeneracy of the times (oh you hear this all the time, how back in the "good old days" people were good christians -- or as the Romans said, used to be good pagans), it has nothing to do with corruption, corruption exists in EVERY age in every time, it has nothing to do with power mad senators it has to do with one thing and one thing only:

Legions used to get their paycheck from the senate. Caeser's multi-year expeditions to Gaul changed that, because Caeser paid the legions out of his own pocket from plunder. When the legions no longer returned each year to farm their fields and became professionals whos paycheck came directly from the general in the field and not from the senate the stage was set for the transition of power from the senate to the generals.

Very simple. George Bush could go to the head of the troops today and say "FOLLOW ME" and the soldier wouldn't follow. Bush ain't signing his name on their checks the American people are, so the american soldiers have a vested interest in doing the will of the american people that's it.

It works the same in any nation. Soldiers will follow whoever pays them. As long as we the people pay our soldiers our democracy is safe from military overthrow unlike in the last days of the roman republic.

We are in a lot more danger from Germany's example, where the people in a democracy voluntarily allow themselves to be led by a fascist government.

Luckily Hitler happened recently enough in time that it's somewhat vaccinated us against this problem . . . at least for now.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

We follow Augustus's reforms. As you say, soldiers had to rely on their general to receive their booty. But, Augustus had the excellent idea of creating a sort of pension plan for soldiers so they were obligated to the state. Ideas that work tend to stick around.

When we have bad economic times, pride in an imperial past, and a few million scapegoats, we'll be in trouble.