THE FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

Coach CrewsWorld History

Section 2 Vocabulary Review – 10 Points

1. In early Rome, the ____ were wealthy landowners.

2. The top officials in the early Roman republic were the two____.

3. The main job of the ___ was to interpret the law as judges.

4. Most of Rome’s people were ___ who included artisans and shopkeepers.

5. A Roman ___ had complete control but ruled on a temporary basis.

Vocabulary Review

1. Patricians2. Consuls3. Praetors4. Plebians5. Dictator

Trouble in the Republic

1. Rome began facing problems at home- Officials began stealing money- Growing gap between the rich and the

poor- Farmers in ruin- Cities became overcrowded and

dangerous

Trouble in the Republic

2. Rich vs. Poor- Many unhappy with the power of the Patricians- Farmers in debt

• Unable to farm because they were fighting• Farms damaged by Hannibal• Latifundia – large farming estates

- Slaves were used to farm these new estates- Farmers sold their land and moved to the city

looking for work- “Bread and circuses” – cheap food and

entertainment for the poor to win their votes

Trouble in the Republic

3. Why Did Reform Fail?- Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus- These brothers asked government to buy

the land and divide it among the landless

- Many senators owned the land in question, both brothers would eventually be killed by bands of senators

Trouble in the Republic

4. The Army Enters Politics- Marius becomes consul in 107 B.C.- Recruits soldiers by promising them land- Soldiers now paid, not volunteer, making

them loyal to the general rather than the republic

- Generals now into politics to get laws passed to benefit their soldiers

Trouble in the Republic

- A general named Sulla drove out other armies and declared himself dictator in 82 B.C.

- Sulla changed the government• Weakened the Council of the Plebs• Strengthened the Senate• 50 years of civil wars• Men raised armies to seize power as Sulla

had done - The stage is set for a military hero named

Julius Caesar to seize power

The Fall of the Republic

Prove-It:1. Give three reasons why Roman farmers

were sinking into poverty and debt.2. How did Marius change the Roman

army?3. How did the general Sulla change the

Roman government when he became dictator after taking power in 82 B.C.?