Similarities Of The Roman Republic

In any government system there are many failures and accomplishments. In the republic form of government, the state is ruled by the citizen body. These positions aren’t inherited but rather gained through elections by citizens. In a Republic government the head of state in not a monarch. Also, there are many different Republics through time. The Roman and American Republic are similar in many ways. Ways of similarity are the Roman “Struggle of the Orders” and the American civil rights movements, the structure of government, and the roles of women.

The roman republic came into existence at the termination of the Roman kingship in 507 B.C.E. The last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled by Collatinus and Brutus, as a result of his arrogance involving the matter of one of his relations raping the wholesome Roman matron Lucretia and her subsequent suicide. The rape of Lucretia was really a representation of the frustration that the roman citizens felt regarding the kingship. The later kings had little regard for roman values and the roman populus, which they used as something of a slave labor force. Brutus and Collatinus became the first Roman Consuls, elected by popular vote.

As Rome became independent from the Etruscan ruling, its government walked away from having a monarch and transformed into a Republic as a way to avoid the tyranny that many times comes with an absolute autocrat. Rigorous precautions were taken from the start in order to keep the power balanced. Moreover, the structure of the government was meant to be resilient to bad judgment. The structure of the Roman Republic with its government and law provided for a more just system.

Was Rome more of a Republic or Empire? In a sense, Rome was a both a Republic and Empire throughout different times in history. At first, Rome was very much a Republic. It had no one leader and instead had many different elected representatives. The people of Rome could voice their opinions and influence the government. However, with the fall of the Republic, Rome soon became an Empire with only one leader. This leader, or emperor, usually did whatever they felt like and did not have to listen to those around them. Historians considered Rome to be a Republic at around 509 BC.

Some policies and institutions of the Roman Republic were useful to help them succeed in conquering first Italy and then the Mediterranean world. Before of the institution of the republic, the romans were a monarchy since their beginning and they were basically a pastoral people. Rome suffer several changes and improvements under the control of the Etruscan kings. The Etruscan were civilization settled north of Rome in Etruria, and they once had control over almost all the Italic peninsula. The Etruscans influences in Rome were profound, they transformed Rome from a pastoral community to a city (91). The Etruscan built the street and roads that help the development of temples, markets, shops, streets, and houses. They basically brought urbanization to Rome. It is fairly to say that the Rome republic was a fusion between the elements of the Etruscan civilization and the Rome elements. The combination of the different political institutions and policies made the Romans succeed in their conquest territories.

The Roman Republic was somewhat meeting the common good. They were somewhat meeting the common good because on the different purpose of government they were harsh and at one point not being fair to everyone.

In 27 BC, the greatest Republic ever to be founded in European History ended in shambles. The Roman Republic, which was 3,861 mi^2, and consisted over 45+ countries, had finally fallen. The same republic, that was viewed as the establishment of wealth and power, and the one that threatened those who were not apart of it. So how did it all go wrong? From internal conflict within social and economic changes, to the massive growth in power in the elites, the fall seemed almost inevitable. But could such a tragedy have actually been prevented? I believe so, if careless and the most detailed mistakes were avoided.

There are many factors that show the differences between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. With the many differences there are also some similarities between the two governing systems. A obvious difference is the time period the Roman Republic and Roman Empire lasted. A obvious similarity is they both occurred in Rome.

The later Roman Republic and early Roman Empire controlled most of modern day Europe through Northern Africa to Asia Minor. This time of complete dominance over much of the known world propelled Rome into a new era of wealth and prosperity that allowed Romans to look past military expansion. The Roman state now turned towards betterment of society and the “craving for a good education.” Education was seen not only as a tool for the furthering of personal careers, but as a way to improve Rome. Education passed along virtue and the skills necessary to run the Republic and early Empire. This knowledge began in the home, transferring from father to son through the role of fathers as paterfamilias or head of household. Fathers were in charge of ensuring the best possible education for their sons in hope that they would further the ideals and goals of a glorious Rome. Education, through the different steps of the informal Roman education structure and through the influence of the father, furthered the ideal of Roman virtue and ensured generations of virtuous leaders.

The Roman Republic and the Roman Empire both made advancements in the way of life, but both ended with their own conflicts and civil wars. Both kingdoms lasted about the same amount of time making it difficult to distinguish which one was greater. They both show times of great conquest and demolishing civil wars. The two were similar in their expansion of land, language, and resources. At the same time, they were very different with their views on government, religion, and leaders (Compare and Contrast the Roman Republic with the Roman Empire).

The Roman Empire led to its fall. Since the area was so huge, barbarian tribes started to invade the borders and slowly the Roman Empire fell.

Born in 100 BC by most accounts, Julius Caesar was a key figure in the Roman Republic and the instigation of the Roman Empire. By this time, Rome was the largest city in the world, with almost half a million citizens residing in its walls (Goldsworthy 19). Caesar’s birth was claimed to be a Caesarian section, a birth considered to be a bad omen in Ancient Rome. He was the only son in his family, which gave him the responsibility of carrying out the family line, raising a new and more powerful generation. This position of power was handed to him quite soon, at the age of sixteen, when his father collapsed and died. He would soon after marry Cornelia, the daughter of Cinna, one the most powerful men in Rome at the time after serving on consul for four consecutive years (49). Caesar began a military service years later, which was considered a beginning to his career in the public eye. He won consulship in Rome for the year 75 BC and, being a master orator, gave an impressive speech that made the crowd remember his reputation (72-73). In 70 BC, Caesar, age thirty, had been married for fifteen years to Cornelia. They had a daughter, Julia, but no male heir and no desire to have another child. He adopted Augustus Caesar, his great-nephew, to compensate for the problem. In late 70 BC, he was also elected as one of the twenty of the quaestors, the public officials who supervised financial affairs and audits (96-97). Perhaps years later, Caesar’s history would become dominated with

Ancient Rome consisted of two main forms of government, the Republic and the Empire, each of which lasted about five centuries. At first, Rome was a republic, governed by members of wealthy classes. As the Republican form of government continued, a series of civil wars led to the breakdown of the system, and a new form of government, the Empire, was established in its place. The Empire began with a prolonged period of peace, the Pax Romana. However, like the Republic, the Empire also turned foul and collapsed after the Pax Romana. Still, a citizen of the Empire was better off than a citizen of the Republic. Health problems were less severe in the Empire than in the Republic. Moreover, the Empire was more peaceful and better able to provide necessities for average citizens than the Republic was. The political situation was also better in the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire generally provided a healthier and higher quality of civic life than the Roman Republic.

Have you ever thought that the U.S. government is easily comparable to the Roman's version of government? Maybe that's because the U.S. government is roughly parallel with the Ancient Roman Government. The Romans did not have a constitution, like us Americans, but their division of executive, legislative, and judicial branches is similar. The Roman government served as a template for the American government. As you read further, you will see how the governmental structures, with detail, are similar by first making points on the American style contrasted with the Roman style of government.

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.