Decline of the republic & roman empire and roman peace p.134-136 Prentice Hall World History Connections to Today

Decline of the republic Rome enters a series of civil wars over who should hold power. Who Should Hold Power? Popular Political Leaders who wanted to create reforms Senate

Decline of the republic Slave uprisings & revolts took place among Rome’s allies. Old legions of Roman citizen-soldiers became professional armies whose first loyalty was to their commanders.

Julius caesar’s rise to power Out of this chaos emerged Julius Caesar, an ambitious military commander.

Julius caesar’s rise to power For while- Caesar + Pompey dominated Roman politics together. 59 B.C.- Caesar goes off with his army to make new conquests.

Caesar’s rise to power After 9 yrs of fighting, Caesar completed the conquest of Gaul (present day France.) Veni, vidi, vici Pompey- feared Caesar was becoming too powerful! Senate- orders Caesar to disband his army & return to Rome. Do you think Caesar follows the order?

Caesar’s rise to power Caesar did NOT follow the order. Crossed the Rubicon River Instead, Caesar returned to Rome with his legions and took charge of Rome!

Jan. 10, 49 BC

Caesar’s reforms Program to employ jobless Gave public land to the poor Granted Roman citizenship to more people Introduced new calendar (Julian calendar) which is still our calendar today, w/some minor changes

Assassination & civil wars Caesar’s enemies worried that he planned to make himself king of Rome…..so they plotted against him. 44 B.C.- Enemies stab Caesar to death. New civil wars

Roman empire & roman peace There’s a struggle for power and Octavian wins. Octavian- receives title of Augustus from Senate. He exercises absolute power. Under Augustus, 500 yr republic ends…..the age of the Roman empire is dawning.

augustus Known for creating the foundation for a stable government Ordered a census (population count) to be taken in the empire Government that Augustus organized functioned well for 200 yrs! But there was still a problem that kept returning……

Good, Caesar! Ruled from 31 BC-AD 14 Good contributions: Allowed a good amount of self-governance Regardless of class, the best man for the job A fairer tax system (through the census) Postal service Jobless people given work on projects like roads and temples PAX ROMANA (Peace of Rome) Lasted 200 years, beginning with Caesar Since Rome controlled all of the Mediterranean Sea and lands stretching from Britain to Mesopotamia, there were no official wars within the Empire and quality of life (for Roman citizens) was good

Bad, Caesar! Limited the power of the Senate, taking power from the people Eliminated his enemies, mercilessly Set a precedent of absolute power to emperors, setting the stage for corruption Ruled his empire with an iron fist

Gaining power? Who would rule after an emperor died? Romans did not accept the idea of power passing automatically from father to son. As a result, the death of an emperor often led to intrigue and violence. http://www.roman emperors.org/impindex.htm

Bad emperors Caligula & Nero Considered downright evil & perhaps insane. Successors of Augustus Nero- infamous for persecuting Christians. Nero goes insane

Good emperors between A.D. 96 and A.D. 180 Hadrian- Good emperor who codified Roman law (made it the same for all provinces) Had soldiers build a wall across Britain to hold back attackers from the non-Roman north Marcus Aurelius- Strong commitment to duty Read philosophy while on military campaigns

Pax romana 200-yr span Began with Augustus & ended with Marcus Aurelius Pax Romana= “Roman Peace” Golden Age because of stability in gov’t. Romans ruled an area from Iraq to Britain

Bread and circuses Colosseum- *Most famous amphitheater in Roman society where gladiatorial shows took place. Seated 50,000. (Many gladiators were slaves who had been trained to fight.) *Events held here: -Served as entertainment. -Kept Romans from thinking about political troubles in the society. -Imitated the conditions of war when all others had been conquered. (Google earth)