Trouble in the Republic

Trouble in the Republic

By the end of the Third Punic War, Rome ruled the Mediterranean worldhowever, not all was well.

Closer to home, the republic faced increasing dangers that would soon lead to its endWhats the Connection

Main Idea:

The use of enslaved labor hurt farmers, increased poverty and corruption and brought the army into politics.Whats the Connection

Poverty, corruption, unemployment, crime and violence are all problems we face today in the United States. Whats the Connection

Whats the Connection

Lets see how the Romans struggled with these same issues 2,000 years ago. Whats the Connection

Romes armies were victorious wherever they wentyet problems were building at home.

Dishonest officials stole money, thousands of farmers faced ruins, cities were becoming over crowded and dangerous and the gap between the rich and the poor was growing. Rich Vs. Poor

Remember who were the people that ruled Rome?Rich Vs. Poor

Patricians rich people who owned land and large farms.

These rich landowners ran the Senate and held the powerful government jobsthey handled Romes finances and directed its wars. Rich Vs. Poor

Despite some gains for the Plebeians, many people became very angry and frustrates about this situation. Rich Vs. Poor

Rome had few privileged citizens compared with the many Romans who farmed small plots of land

In the late 100s B.C.E. however these farmers were sinking into poverty and debtWhy? Rich Vs. Poor

Many of them had been unable to farm there land because they were off fighting Romes warsthis meant that they made no money.

Others had suffered damage to their farms during Hannibals invasion of Italyremember he sacked the country side as he moved throughout Italy. Rich Vs. Poor

Moreover, small farmers could not compete with wealthy Romans who were buying up land to create Latifundia.

Latifundia were large farming estatesbasically gigantic farms.Rich Vs. Poor

These rich landowners used a new source of laborthe thousands of prisoners brought to Italy due to the many Roman wars.

By using these enslaved people to tend their crops, wealthy Romans could force owners of small farms out of business. Rich Vs. Poor

Faced with debts they could not pay off, many farmers sold their land and headed to the cities, desperate for work.

However, jobs were hard to findslaves did most of the work.

Rich Vs. Poor

If free men were lucky enough to be hired, they earned low wages

These conditions created widespread anger all across Rome. Rich Vs. Poor

Roman politicians were worried about riots breaking out, but they quickly turned the situation to their advantage.

To win the votes of the poor. They began providing cheap food and entertainmentthis policy was known as Bread and Circuses and helped dishonest rulers come to power. Rich Vs. Poor

Questions:

1) Why were many farmers unable to take care of their own farmland?

2) What were Latifundia?

3) What did Hannibal do to the Italian countryside and farmland as he invaded Italy?

4) What were Bread and Circuses policy in Rome? Rich Vs. Poor Questions:

1) Why were many farmers unable to take care of their own farmland?

Most were off fighting Romes wars.

2) What were Latifundia?

Large farming estates.

3) What did Hannibal do to the Italian countryside and farmland as he invaded Italy?

Sacked the Italian countryside and burned farms.

4) What were Bread and Circuses policy in Rome?

Cheap food and entertainment for poor Romans.

Rich Vs. Poor Not all wealthy people ignored the problems facing the Roman Republic.

Two prominent officials who worked on reforms for these policies were Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. Why did Reform Fail?

These brothers thought that Romes problems were caused by the loss of small farms.

They asked the Senate to take back public land from the rich and divide it among the landless Romans. Why did Reform Fail?

Many senators, however, were among those who had claimed pieces of the public land.

Putting their own interest above the general welfare, these Senators fought the Gracchus brothers and their proposals. Why did Reform Fail?

A band of Senators even went as far as to kill Tiberius in 133 B.C.E. twelve years later his brother Gaius met the same fate.

These were dark days for the Roman Republic, when the people who were in charge of running the government and up holding the laws could so shockingly violate them. Why did Reform Fail?

Tiberius had an unusual deathhe was beaten to death with clubs and staves made from benches and his body was thrown into the Tiber River

Why did Reform Fail?

Gaius Gracchus has one of the more interesting and gruesome deaths in Roman history... he was killed in a riot he started, decapitated, and thrown into the Tiber River.

Why did Reform Fail?

The Gracchus brothers were working towards ending corruption in government, sadly it did not workthis was the beginning of the end of the Roman RepublicWhy did Reform Fail?

Questions:

5) Who were Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?

6) What were they working to fix in the Roman government?

7) What happened to Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?

Why did Reform Fail?Questions:

5) Who were Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?

Two brothers who asked for farmland to be returned to poor Roman people.

6) What were they working to fix in the Roman government?

Corruption by the government.

7) What happened to Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?

They were murdered and thrown into the Tiber River.

Why did Reform Fail?Matters only worsened as the Roman army took on a new role.

Until now, the army had mostly stayed out of government affairsthings changed however, when a military leader named Gaius Marius became Consul in 107 B.C.E.The Army Enters Politics

Previously, most soldiers were owners of small farms.

Now because this type of farmer was disappearing, Marius began to recruit soldiers from the poor people of Rome. The Army Enters Politics

In return for their military service, he paid them wages and promised them the one thing they desperately wantedland. The Army Enters Politics

Marius changed the Roman army from citizen volunteers to paid professional soldiersthese new troops were motivated by material rewards, rather then a sense of duty.

They felt loyal to their general, not to the Roman Republic. The Army Enters Politics

This gave individual generals a great deal of influence in government and a good reason to become involved with politics.

They needed to get laws passed that would provide land they had promised their soldiers. The Army Enters Politics

Mariuss new military system led to new power struggles and he soon came face to face with a challenge from a rival general, a man named Sulla.

In 82 B.C.E. Lucius Cornelius Sulla drove his enemies out of Rome and made himself dictator. The Army Enters Politics

Dictator - A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force. The Army Enters Politics

Over the next three years, Sulla changed the governmentHe weakened the Consul of Plebs and strengthened the Senate.

Then he stepped down from powerhe had changed what he felt needed changing. The Army Enters Politics

Sulla hoped that the Roman Republic could heal its wounds and recapture its glory.

Instead, Rome plunged into an era of civil wars for the next 50 years. The Army Enters Politics

Ambitious men saw how Sulla used an army to seize power and decided to follow the same path. The Army Enters Politics

Questions:

7) Who was Giaus Marius?

8) What change did Marius make to the Roman army?

9) Who was Lucius Cornelius Sulla?

10) Why did he step down as dictator?

The Army Enters PoliticsQuestions:

7) Who was Giaus Marius?

A military leader who changed the Roman Army.

8) What change did Marius make to the Roman army?

He paid his soldiers money and gave them land as payment.

9) Who was Lucius Cornelius Sulla?

He paid his soldiers and gave them land as payment.

10) Why did he step down as dictator?

He hoped Rome could heal its wounds and recapture glory.

The Army Enters PoliticsLets think back to the very beginning of this presentation where we talked about What's the Connection.

We have just seen how poverty, corruption, unemployment, crime and violence were all major problems for the Romans.

These are also major problems for the United States

I want you to think about how the Romans dealt with these issues and in your own words and ideas I want you to think about how the United States could fix these problems

Answers must be written in a paragraph or two.

Open Ended Response