World History I
January 5-9, 2009
The Roman Republic
Monday Introduce Roman civilization
HW (Wednesday):
A. Read Chapter 7 Section 1: Founding the Roman Republic
B. Section 1 Review: 1, 3
C. Read chapter 7 Section 2: Rome Expands its Borders
D. Section 2 Review: 1—4
Tuesday Discussion: Roman overthrow of Etruscans and establishment of Roman Republic
In class: Primary Source:
A. Livy, “The Formation of the Republic”
B. Polybius, “Histories: The Roman Constitution”
Wednesday Discussion: Roman Republic: Punic Wars and Expansion
Review HW: Section 1 and 2
HW: Section 3 Review: 1-4 (Friday)
HW: Section 3 #5 (essay)
Thursday Discussion: End of Republic and Birth of the Roman Empire
HW: Read Plutarch, “The Last Day of Julius Caesar”
Friday Video: Hail Caesar: Julius
Collect Section 3 review and Essay
OUTLINE
I. The Early Romans
i. Etruscans
ii. legendary founding of Rome -- 753 b.c.
iv. Tiber River
v. defeat of the Etruscans in 509 b.c.
a. Creation of the Republic
II. The Roman Republic
Roman Constitution
i. the consuls
election by citizens
1 year term
veto power ("I forbid")
ii. senate
elder statesmen
made laws
iii. Assembly
a. no power originally
b. general citizens
iv. the divisions of Roman Society: Clientage
the Patricians (Pater = father)
the Plebeians
no intermarriage
no political office
citizenship and taxation
service in the army
v. The virtues of the noble Romans:
pietas: respect for authority and tradition
religio: common beliefs
fides: faithfulness to one's duty
gravitas: seriousness, manliness
the meaning of Roman virtue: attributes of
manliness
respect for legality and constitutionality
III. Plebian reforms: Struggle of the Orders
A. The Tribune of the Plebs and the Plebian assembly
B. The Sexto-Licinian Laws -- 367 b.c.
Plebians gain the right to be consul
right of intermarriage
C. The Hortensian Law -- 287 b.c.
binding laws passed in Plebian Assembly without the
approval of the senate
IV. The Expansion of Republic
A. The Punic Wars:
i. Carthage and the Phoenicians (Punicus)
ii. the first Punic War 264-241 b.c.
iii. the second Punic War 218-201 b.c.
Hannibal
Scipio Africanus
the latifundia
iv. the third Punic War 149-146 b.c.
Delenda est Carthago. Carthage must be destroyed!
Cato the Elder.
the final defeat of Carthage:
the salting of Carthage's land
Roman control of the Mediterranean!
B. Macedonian Wars: Four different wars (215-148 b.c.)
C Continued Expansion:
Britain; Gaul; Asia
D. Problems of Empire
i. corruption in the provinces
ii. continued class struggle:
iii. Poverty in the cities
VII. The Reformers
The Gracchi
A. Tiberius Gracchus -- 133 b.c.
i. land reform
ii. illegal by passing of the senate
iii. illegal reelection
iv. his assassination by the senate
B. Gaius Gracchus -- 123 b.c.
i. support of the equestrians
ii. loyalty of the military transferred to ruler rather
than to empire!
iii. his assassination by the senate
C. Marius -- 107 b.c.
i. increasing power of the military
ii. new land for service in military
iii. favored the Assembly
iv. Marius’ Mules
D. Sulla -- 79 b.c.
i. senate doubled in size
ii. proscriptions
iii. invasion of Rome with military
E. Julius Caesar
i. alliance with Pompey and Crassus (First Triumvirate)
ii. military success
iii. recall in 49 b.c.
iv. the crossing of the Rubicon
v. dictator for life in 46 b.c.
vi. reforms
vii. assassination on the Ides of March:
March 15, 44 b.c.
F. Summary of the Reformers:
i. concern for Plebians
ii. violation of Republican principles.
VII. The Roman Empire
A. struggle for power after Caesar:
Marc Antony and Cleopatra
Octavius
Battle of Actium -- 31 b.c.
B. Octavius takes Rome: 27 b.c.
i. new name = Augustus, "revered one"
ii. his power -- the usurpation of all powerful
emperor in every way but name
the Princeps of Rome -- first citizen
iii. his reforms:
return to old Roman Values:
the family
loyalty to Rome
control of the military
iv. Pax Romana -- 200 years of peace and prosperity!
C. The Julio-Claudian emperors:
i. the succession crisis
ii. Tiberius
iii. Caligula
iv. Nero
D. The Army takes control
i. Vespasian
ii. Domitian
succession resolved by the Senate
iii. Trajan
iv. Hadrian
V. the Good Emperors: Trajan to Marcus Aeruilius:
Commodus
VIII. Trouble on the Frontiers
The Barbarians in the third century:
Franks, Goths, Lombards, Saxons, Jutes, Angles, Vandals
IX. General difficulties since the Age of Augustus
A. decay of patrician class
B. decadence of society
C. revolt of the Jews -- Hadrian and Titus
D. The Barbarians
E. Christians
X. Reformers
1. Diocletian
A. 284 A.D. -- division of the empire
tetrarchy
2 emperors
2 caesars
plan for orderly succession
B. wage and price controls
freezing of status and jobs
C. 303 A.D. -- Persecution of Christians
i. Attack on Christians
D. Civil War
2. Constantine 272-337 (first Christian Emperor)
A. The son of the Caesar in the West
B. 312 A.D. The Battle of Milvian Bridge: “In hoc signo vinces”
C. 313 A.D. The Edict of Milan
D. The capital moved to Byzantium, renamed Constantinople 330
3. Valentinian and Valens
A. Split of the Empire (364)
1. Western Roman Empire: Rome
2. Eastern Roman Empire: Constantinople
XI. German Problems of the Empire
a. Alaric and The Sack of Rome -- 410 A.D. and 455 A.D.
b. The Vandals and North Africa -- 429 A.D.
c. Germanizing of the military and administration
d. the Last Roman Emperor in the West -- Romulus Augustulus -- 476 A.D.
XII Theories about the “Fall” of Rome:
a. Overextension
b. Reliance on slavery
c. Inflation
d. Latifundiae
e. Internal struggles
f. External pressures
g. Splitting of the empire
h. Moral decadence
i. Christianity
i. St. Augustine, City of God
. . . the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the causes of destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and, as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight. The story of its ruin is simple and obvious; and, instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it had subsisted so long. The victorious legions, who, in distant wars, acquired the vices of strangers and mercenaries, first oppressed the freedom of the republic, and afterwards violated the majesty of the purple. The emperors, anxious for their personal safety and the public peace, were reduced to the base expedient of corrupting the discipline which rendered them alike formidable to their sovereign and to the enemy; the vigour of the military government was relaxed, and finally dissolved, by the partial institutions of Constantine; and the Roman world was overwhelmed by a deluge of Barbarians.
--Edward Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapter 38