Julius Caesar Political Structure Analysis

Throughout the rise and fall of the Roman empire, the government was a combination of a democracy and republic. Starting with Romulus, Rome was first ruled by a series of seven kings until 509 BCE when Rome constructed itself a Republic til

The Roman government is very unique compared to other societies. The majority of societies were either controlled by monarchy or democracy, however the Romans found a way to have both. The Roman empire had both a senate and an emperor. The Senate was Democracy which was made up by electing officials who although made laws couldn’t finalize the law without approval from emperor. The Emperor made up the Monarchy part having the final say in all important objectives.

First, The Roman Republic had three main units and other small branches, much like America’s government. For the first main unit, there is a dictator that was elected by the people and took total control of Rome during a crisis, such as food shortages, wars, and other things. The second main unit is the Senate that collected taxes and passed all of the laws. For the last unit there are the Consuls that had control over the military when not in a crisis. They were elected by majority like America’s government. They also chose the senate members. And that is how Ancient Rome’s government worked.

From 509 BC to about 27 BC, Rome was considered a republic. During this time there was no single leader of Rome and the government was run by elected officials. The main leaders of the Roman Republic were the consuls. There were always two consuls in power at a time. Each year new consuls were elected to serve for a one-year term. This kept any one man from becoming too powerful in the government. At the time the Senate was the most powerful governing body in Rome. The Senate had control of the state’s finances and foreign policies. Senators were elected by the people to represent them in government. The Senate was made up of 300 of the most elite and wealthiest of the Roman Republic. One of the most important roles of the Senate to undergo the checks and balances of the Roman government. Checks and balances are the “principle of government under which separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power” (The Editors). The checks and balances of Rome helped to stabilize the government and allowed the power to be distributed somewhat equally between the consul, the Senate, and the people. However, the fall of the Roman Empire eliminated this type aspect of government in Rome (Kagan 101-103).

As mentioned earlier, the Roman Empire was initially being ruled by Etruscan kings and as many people were not in an accord in being ruled by a king, the last king called Tarquinius Superbus was thrown out through a revolt led by a man named Lucius Junius Brutus in 509 B.C and a new type of government had started. Like many countries today, The Roman government became a republic. In a republic, citizens in the empire vote to elect representatives to rule on their favor; this way, things were fairer in some ways. In the Republic, both men and women were considered citizens, however, only men could vote. Along the structure of the Republic were magistrates who were two consuls who worked together. These ran the government and led the army in wartime (Grolier Online). Consuls were selected every year in assemblies in which adult male citizens voted. There was also the Senate, which was made up of wealthy aristocrats, the heads of noble families, and hereditary priests (Ward). The Senate offered advise to the

The Roman government was democratic when it came to the citizens. The citizens could elect their own officials, and the officials were supposed to represent every level of Roman society. There were many types of officials. The two consuls were the chief officials of Rome. Once elected, they served for two years (Trueman, Chris). One of their most important powers was controlling the army (Government under Roman Republic). When they were unsure of a course of action, they were advised by the Senate, a council of around six hundred male citizens (Trueman, Chris). Those six hundred men were usually from wealthy patrician families and were the ones in charge of making the laws and controlling the spending. Contrary to the election of the other officials, the Senate was appointed by the current Consuls. Once they were appointed, they served for life. When one member died, another was chosen in their place (Government).

The government system was the republic, which was the start of the Roman Republic. The republic was made up of an assembly, which consisted of two consuls and the senate that gave advice to the consuls. Even with the changed government, the Romans continued to use the Twelve

The base of the Roman Republic’s political system was the Assemblies in which Roman males would pass laws, elect Magistrates, and perform ceremonial duties. They had the power to approve or disapprove the Senate’s policies. In the empire, Augustus became a perpetual Tribune. He alone had the power to approve or veto laws.

Briefly, at the beginning, Rome had a monarchy, until being overthrown by wealthy, powerful citizens who declared Rome a republic and established the Senate. Ultimately, the Republic and Senate became corrupted, and Rome was controlled by an emperor. Imitating the Greek democracy, the Roman Republic and Senate was designed to balance out power, preventing any one person from having too much control over Roman politics. However, the spread of power was very limited. Only free male citizens could participate in government.

Caesar was able to balance being away from Rome while he was fighting in war and still being able to keep tabs on the political scene back in Rome. He was able to accomplish several things and people took notice of it. Caesar's goal, as dictator, was to change Rome and create an empire that would last for hundreds of years (Hunter, 2014). Caesar was able to accomplish some of his goal as dictator when the Roman Republic turned into the mighty Roman Empire. " Caesar's conquests built the lands of Rome into one of the biggest and most powerful empires in history.

Rome during the republic was not ruled by a dominant ruler or dictator but however, was moving towards it in the late republic. In Rome’s republic, the people chose who they wanted as their elected officers. At the top of the Roman government, there were two consuls who were chosen by the citizens to rule for a one year term. These consuls are known as high civilian and military officials. Some roles they are expected to perform include set politics, legislation, lead military and set reform in Rome.

The definition of ambition is a strong desire to achieve something, usually requiring determination and hard work. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history. This play demonstrates ambition through Caesar. Caesar is a highly successful but ambitious political leader of Rome. The people of Rome wanted him to become their king, and conspirators saw that as a threat. Many of the conspirators feel that he is too ambitious and going to become a tyrant, so they plot to murder him. Caesar’s ambition is also what worries Brutus, and ultimately leads to Brutus joining the conspiracy to murder Caesar. The conspirators along with Brutus successfully murder Caesar. Throughout the play there are multiple instances where Caesar’s overly ambitious character was detrimental and lead to his downfall. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by Shakespeare, through Caesar, demonstrates how ambition may be the force propelling one towards accomplishment, it can still lead to one’s downfall.

Power is a trait that many great leaders have. The rulers of the Roman empire were no exception. One of the most influential and controversial rulers of Rome was Julius Caesar. He expanded the Roman Empire by conquering Gaul and is known for never losing a war. Julius Caesar aided the development of the Roman Empire and its people.

Julius Caesar, on the other hand, was a very powerful dictator of the Roman Republic. He had formed a political party around the time of 60 BC. Defeating many enemies with the help of close friends, which caused the Roman Republic to expand into what eventually became the Roman Empire as explained on biography.com, “Julius Caesar...was a politically adept and popular leader of the Roman Republic who significantly transformed what became known as the Roman Empire by greatly expanding its geographic reach and establishing its imperial system.”

Abraham Lincoln once stated “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” In Lincoln’s statement a key term is power, which means the ability or right to control people or things. Another important term in Lincoln’s statement is adversity, which means a difficult situation or condition. Taken as a whole, Lincoln means that all men can handle a difficult period by themselves easily, but when someone has power and battles a situation it makes a person corrupt and harder to handle situations. This is because when you have power it is easier to do the wrong thing.