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509 BC Romans (R) overthrew Etruscan king Tarquin the Proud and set up
a republic.
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Republic (REP) is a government where people choose their leaders.
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R divided into two classes.
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1. Patricians (PA) who were wealthy land owners and had power.
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2. Plebeians (PL) who were poor farmers and artisans and had little
power.
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PL outnumbered PA 9 to 1.
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PL had to pay taxes, could serve in army, were citizens, but could not
serve in government and could be sold into slavery if they got into debt.
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At top of republic were two consuls, they were chosen each year, acted
as military and administrative leaders, and could veto anything.
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Senate was made up of senators who were chosen for life.
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Senators handled day to day government, proposed laws, discussed
foreign policy, gave out public contracts, and advised the consuls.
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Rights of plebeians were protected by different assemblies, judges and
tribunes.
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All R citizens could belong to assemblies and these assemblies declared
war and peace.
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Laws were recorded on the Twelve Tables, these were then posted in the
Forum so all could see them.
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R worried about Etruscans trying to take back over so they conquered
some Etruscan cities.
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R either conquered people or made alliances with them, by 146 BC it was
leading power in
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Army was very powerful and successful.
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Army was divided into legions that could fight in smaller groups better
than phalanxes.
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Each legion was made up of soldiers called legionaries.
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Legionaries were very well trained and disciplined.
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R were relatively mild rulers at first.
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They expected the people they conquered to provide soldiers and support
R foreign policy, but allowed them to keep their own government.
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The conquered people did not have to pay taxes.
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Since the R were fair they made friends out of many of the people they
conquered.
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Were a series of 3 wars between R and
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1st war started when R went after the Carthaginian colony of
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War lasted 25 years because R better on land and Carthaginians were
better on sea.
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R eventually became better at sea, won war, and got
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2nd war
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sea so could not get it.
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R then attacked
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3rd war R attacked because they were concerned
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They burned city to ground, plowed salt into the fields, and sold
people into slavery.
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In same year, R took over
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The wealth and land that R acquired changed R life.
Agricultural
Changes
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Move from small farms to laitifundias (large farms).
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R started using slaves more.
From
Farm to City
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Farmers who sold their land frequently moved to the city rather than
work
someone else’s land.
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Living conditions were very bad and few could make money.
Decline
of the
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Problems started because R republic started to demand taxes from
conquered people.
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Publicans, who collected taxes, took more than they were supposed to
and kept the extra.
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Overall rich were getting richer and the poor were worse off since they
did not have land and merchant made less money.
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Poor hated rich and rich feared poor.
The
Reformers
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Tiberius Gracchus was a tribune who wanted to limit the amount of land
a person could own so small farmers would keep their farms.
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He also wanted to give public lands to poor.
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He was killed in a riot staged by his opponents.
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Gaius Gracchus was a younger brother of Tiberius who also served as a
tribune.
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He continued his brother’s reforms and had government sell wheat
cheaply.
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Senators feared his popularity with poor and had him killed.
The
Generals
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Gaius Marius was general who reformed the army.
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He tried to set up a professional army where soldiers were paid.
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Problem was that the army then became more loyal to their commander
than to R.
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Lucius Sulla was another general who used his army.
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When he disagreed with the government in R he marched into R with his
troops and became a dictator.
Julius
Caesar (JC)
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When Sulla reitred, a triumverate (three people with equal power) came
into power including JC, Pompeius, and Crassus.
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After Crassus died, JC and Pompeius fought and JC won.
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The Senate was worried JC was becoming too powerful, but he came into R
with his army so they could not do anything and he became dictator.
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JC made many reforms, including giving land to soldiers, providing more
for the poor, and making senators less powerful.
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Senators were worried about JC making himself king so they killed him
in Senate.
End
of the Republic
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People turned against those who had killed JC.
§ Another triumverate took control and it included Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus.
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Fights eventually broke out between the three and Octavian took over
and became first emperor.