What was the problem between the rich and poor?
Most people who ruled Rome were patricians - rich people who owned large farms.These rich landowners ran the senate and held the most powerful government jobs.They handled Rome's finances and directed it's wars.Despite some gains for the plebeians,many people became very unhappy about this situation.Farmers were sinking into poverty and debt.why?Many them weren't able to farm because they were fighting in Rome's wars.Others had suffered damage to their farms during Hannibals invasion of Italy.Moreover,small farms could not compete with wealthy Romans who were buying up land to create latifundia,or large farms estates.Wealthy landowners told the plebs that to sell their land to them and that they would give them a lot of bread so that they could eat and a lot of entertainment they agreed and they sold their land to the wealthy people and they headed to cities to find jobs.
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Why did the army enter politics?
Matters only worsened as the Roman Army took a new role.Until now,the army had mostly stayed out of government affairs.Things changed when a military leader named Marius became consul in 107 BCE.Previously,most soldiers were owners of small farms.Now because this type of farmer was disappearing,Marius began to recruit soldiers from the poor.In return for their service,he paid them wages and promised them they desperately wanted land. Once Marius had the soldiers that wanted to volunteer he turned them into professional soldiers.However the new troops were motivated by the material rewards rather than sense of duty.They felt loyal to their general no the republic.This gave individual generals great deals to become involved in politics.
Why did Julius Caesar became famous?
The members of the Triumvirate each had a military command in a remote area of the republic.Pompey was in spain,Crassus in Syria,and caesar was in Gaul (modern France).While Caesar was in Gaul Caesar battled foreign tribes and invaded Britain.He became a hero to Rome's lower classes.Senator were afraid that Caesar was going to get too popular and might seize power like Sulla.After Crassus was killed at 53 BCE the senators decided that Pompey should come back to Italy and rule.In 49 BCE senate ordered Julius to give up his army and come home.Caesar faced a difficult choice he could obey or perhaps face prison or death.He decided to hold on to the 5,000 loyal soldiers and than marched into Italy and than later on destroyed Pompey's Army in Greece. He also was a good General.
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What type of ruler was Julius Caesar
In 44 BCE Caesar declared himself dictator for life.To strengthen his hold on power,Caesar filled the senate with new members that were loyal to him.He granted citizenship to people living in Rome's territories outside of Italy.He started new colonies to provide land for the landless and created work for the jobless people.He also ordered landowners using slave labor to provide more free workers.He was popular in Rome's poor.He also made a 12 months and 365 days and a leap year calendar this calendar was called the Julius calendar or the gregorian calendar.This calendar was based on the birth of Jesus.
How did the Rome become an Empire?
Caesar's death lead Rome into another civil war.On one side were the forces lead by the men who killed Caesar.On the other side was caesar's grandnephew Octavian who had inherited caesar's wealth and two other generals,Antony and Lepidus.After defeating Caesar's assassins,these three men created the second triumvirate in 43 BCE and later on Octavian soon forced Lepidus to retire from politics Octavian took the west and Antony took east.But Antony soon fell in love with the queen Cleopatra VII.Octavian than told the Romans that Antony with Cleopatra's help they planned to make himself the ruler of the republic and this alarmed the Romans this enabled war against Antony.In 31 BCE Octavian and crushed the army and navy of Cleopatra and Antony.And than Octavian lay out a new foundation of government called the The Roman Empire
Who was Augustus?
Octavian could make himself a dictator for life like Julius Caesar did.He knew that many people favored a democratic form of government.One such person was cicero,a political leader and writer and also Rome's greatest public speaker.Cicero had argued against dictators because he wanted a republic government with limited powers.Cicero's speeches and books swayed many romans.Centuries later,his ideas also influenced the writers of the united states constitution.Although cicero did not see Octavian rule ,he had supported him,hopping he would restore the republic.In 27 BCE also knew that the republic was to weak to solve Rome's problems. Although he gave powers to the senate and he really put himself in charge.Octavian also took the title of Augustus-"the revered majestic one". From this point on,he was best known by his name Augustus Caesar.