The Entry of Violence in Rome - Essay Example

The tremendous growth of the Roman Empire led to the creation of a political division.
The rise of the generals has been facilitated by the social war in Rome, the uprising of the infamous Spartacus, and can also be said to have originated with the Gracchi brothers. It can be recalled that prior to the rise of generals, the ruling class is comprised of senators who often abuse their power in order to pursue their self-will. This was changed after by the Gracchi brothers: “The emergence, and eventual assassination of the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, is often considered the first major step towards the fall of the Roman Republic” (The Gracci Brothers 1).

These brothers have completely altered the political landscape by introducing sweeping economic reforms which are very detrimental to the senatorial class. This move has caused division and created two political factions known as populares and optimates. This eventually led to social wars as the sentiments of the poor have been geared toward achieving freedom from the cruelty and slavery of the upper class. As the causes pursued by the populares become increasingly popular among the common citizens, it should be noted that generals gain more power, especially through the election of Gaius Marius who is famous because of his military leadership.

The insurrection of the slaves has been highlighted by the revolt of Spartacus, a freeborn provincial from Thrace. It should be noted that Spartacus is a gladiator who has escaped together with 70-80 others at the gladiatorial school of Batiatus in Capua. Spartacus has been very victorious in conquering cities and states in Italy increasing his number of followers to 120,000 at the height of the revolt (Spartacus 10). Having identified himself with the generals or the populares, his revolt highlights the rise of the generals in Rome.
I believe that the main contributor to the downfall of the Roman Empire is the inefficiency of management of the ruling class because of the territorial expansion.

As the scope of territory grows, the capability of the leaders to rule becomes insufficient. Also, another contributing factor is the inequality among the people evidenced by the machinations of the senators in order to pursue their personal goals. The downfall could have been avoided if the politicians are able to oversee their localities and exerted effort in meeting the needs of the citizens. Instead of gearing their efforts towards pursuing the interest of the whole community, they focused only on their self-gain. Localities that are ruled by politicians like senators will certainly come to a point of the uprising when they realize that they are being abused and taken advantage of. Read More