5. The Decline of the Roman Republic:                        back to Rome page

     A number of problems arose in the late Republican period that, unsolved, led to the eventual failure of the system of government.

  A. Disappearance of Small Farms:

  - early Rome had been a nation mostly of small farmers (strong, hardworking, independent people)
  - as wealth grew, richer men bought up large areas of land and farmed these using slave labour.
  - small free farmers couldn't sell their crops as cheaply as the large slave-worked operations (why can bigger
    operations be more efficient?) so they could not compete.
  - many small farmers were forced to sell out (some for next to nothing and go to the cities to look for jobs.

  - ex-farmers crowded into cities, looking for work
  - those who did not find jobs depended on the government for food and other necessities.
  - since they were citizens and had the vote, politicians sometimes gave them food and/or free entertainment
     in return for their political support.
  - this growing number of unemployed people became a large drain on Rome's economy (what are at least
     two ways in which unemployment hurts a country’s economy?)
  - many became so used to handouts that they grew too lazy to work. It was often said that the "idle city mob"
    wanted only "Bread and Games of the Circus" - free food and entertainment.

  C. Political Troubles:

  - the Senate in early times had been blessed with many hardworking patriots who truly tried to rule doing
    what would be best for Rome.
  - in later years, the quality of senators declined: many were out for their own interests instead of Rome’s.
  - the efforts of some good men to reform Rome and overcome its problems were blocked (ex.  The Gracchus
     brothers Tiberius and Gaius, were both assassinated because they tried to make changes)
  - graft, influence peddling, and the use of special knowledge for personal gain became common, (can you
    explain each of these?)
 - vote-buying, bribery, coercion, and political assassination all appeared during this time
  - there were barbarian attacks on the frontiers, rebellions within, plots to overthrow the government. The
    Senate became incapable of handling all the problems it faced.
  - power slipped into the hands of military strongmen who could command the loyalty of armies. As rulers they
    had some successes but they also caused many other problems.
  - Rome was ripe for a "dictator" - some strong leader who might be able to take power and “straighten things out”.