After the Punic Wars, the turmoil in society is as I told you to take a look at the Roman Republic. Farmers on the Italian peninsula were exhausted by the long-running war and the introduction of cheap wheat to the Italian peninsula.
Influential people controlled the rebellion of such Roman fallen farmers with their own hands, but eventually the civil war continued between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
This time, such a Roman civil war And Julius Caesar Let's take a look at the series of events leading up to the confusion.
Let's take a look at the Roman RepublicWhat is the background of the civil war? ??
The civil war in Rome is related to the long-lasting war and the accompanying social changes. There is a part that overlaps with the article on the Roman Republic, but let's look at the background of the civil war again.
Punic Wars
By the late 3rd century BC, the Roman Republic had expanded its territory around Rome to the entire Italian peninsula. Originally the Italian Peninsula ... Especially in the south, there is a lot of soil similar to Greece, and there is a tendency to lack enough wheat to cover the population of people living throughout the Italian Peninsula . ..
Rome at that time Is wartime looting Was recognized as a soldier's right (military service is a duty of Roman citizens), and if you participate in the war as a soldier, you will get a daily salary . Therefore, the more wheat is deficient, the more the Roman citizens' consciousness goes to war. Moreover, if there is a place where wheat can be harvested, there is no choice but to take it away.
As you can see from the geography around Italy, after controlling the entire Italian peninsula, the Alps Only beyond the continent or Mediterranean ..
Beyond the Alps, the area is very wide and the logistics are solid. Also, once the northern part of the Alps is attacked, it is difficult to return to the Italian peninsula, and you have to face the backwaters (although the back is not a river).
For that reason, I think it was easier to attack the Mediterranean Sea, which I knew through trade.
Sicily located in the southwestern part of the Italian peninsula where wheat harvest can be expected And the Carthage behind it Punic Wars targeting Begins.
Finally Rome Wins Carthage .. Sicily Also Carthage I will also get the territory of. In addition, Rome Is Carthage Antigonid dynasty Macedonia in an alliance with Tomo Punic Wars Since they are fighting and winning at the same time, Greece is also under control.
Postwar turmoil
Rome was the original purpose of Sicily Succeeded in obtaining at the beginning of the war.
As the war continues, the farmlands of Roman citizens who participated as soldiers who lived near self-sufficiency tend to be ruined. I don't think there is enough food for the crops that can be obtained from the rugged farmland. You will be able to make a living by buying cheap Sicilian wheat from the salary you earned as a soldier.
Farmlands of farmers who worked as soldiers can get cheap food just by exercising their duty of military service. The market price of wheat has plummeted due to the influx of cheap wheat even for those who ate a single farm in the Italian peninsula. And you will have a hard time eating.
After the Punic Wars, Italian peninsula farmers began to wear out It is.
During the war, many Roman citizens were able to secure a source of income, but when the war ended, all that remained was exhausted farmers and desolate farmland. Landless proletariat What you have done is the first step following the civil war.
The gap between rich and poor in Rome
The changes caused by the end of the Punic Wars were not limited to the exhaustion of farmers. A large number of Carthaginian prisoners of war were marketed as slaves, Rome Slavery accelerates at once I did.
Lots of desolate farmland and cheap slaves.
Already economically rich people have acquired farmland and slaves, and slaves have begun to farm on large farmlands ( Latifundia ). ).
Bread and circus
With a vast province, Rome has a lot of wealth in some layers. Some layers are those who run Latifundia and the politicians. Widening the gap between rich and poor will eventually lead to worsening security.
That's where the wealthy went.
- Food (bread)
- Entertainment (horse racing, gladiator games at the arena, etc.)
Is provided. Some verses were considered the responsibility of the ruler.
For some, the enjoyment of watching daily horse races and gladiator games while comfortably securing enough food to live has become comfortable.
On the contrary, for the rulers, politics is reduced by enjoying the fun in daily life. Let's get a lot of supporters It will also lead to things.
A poet satirizes this situation with "bread and circuse" and "bread and circuse", leaving it as a word that has been passed down to the present day.
On the other hand, those who did not like their lives worked for wealth. In this way, the gap between rich and poor widened further.
The beginning of the civil war
These social contradictions combine to create citizen equality . The Roman society, which was the principle, will change.
Politicians too
- Factions:Factions trying to preserve the traditional rule of the Senate
- Political faction:A faction supported by proletariats and knights
I came to fight in two parts.
The Great Reform of the Gracchi Brothers
It was the Gracchi brothers who felt a sense of crisis in this situation. .. This is because the peasant's exhaustion leads to a decline in the military power of Rome.
Tribune that can be spoken to the Senate and Consul The Gracchi brothers are taking on a series of reforms to confiscate the land of large landowners and distribute it to proletariat citizens.
However, it failed due to the great opposition of the landowner. It will reach the end of being killed or committing suicide.
What is the impact of the reform failure on Rome? ??
After this reform, influential politicians will put their supporters under protection (=asylum-seekers) and have them under their control. Gradually the conflict is escalating. They rushed to solve each other's violence using their subordinates.
From the beginning of the 1st century BC, influential people began to gather proletariats as private soldiers.
- The battle of the common people "Marius" v.s.
Not only happened, but also taking advantage of such deterioration of public security
- Rebellion for Roman citizenship in an allied city on the Italian peninsula
- Great Rebellion by Gladiator Spartacus
And so on, and the civil war reaches its peak.
Gladiator slaves are people who have been entrusted with life or death to be seen as a spectacle for the entertainment of Roman citizens, such as dueling with each other and fighting lions and cows. There are many stories of gladiators who dislike being a spectacle and die in a shocking way on the day of the match. It may have reached its limit due to being placed in a harsh environment.
End of Civil War
It was
that caused the above-mentioned turmoil.- Pompey
- Caesar
- Crassus
It was 3 people. In 60 BC, the three of them formed a private political alliance against the Senate and the optimates. First Triumvirate We are entering the era of (60 BC to 53 BC).
The 1st Triumvirate
Among them, Caesar When he emerged and took control of the Gaul (now France) expedition, he defeated his political opponent Pompey in 46 BC and settled all over Rome.
A dictator chosen from the Consul When Caesar took office in succession, he served to stabilize society. It was charismatically popular with the people and became a force that asked, "Why don't you become a king ...?" ..
The words that Caesar said at this time were
"Brutus, you too"
It is a famous wording. It's also famous as a scene from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar".
The 2nd Triumvirate
The year after Caesar was assassinated
- Antonius (Caesar's subordinate)
- Lepidus (Caesar's subordinate)
- Octavianus (adopted Caesar)
The three of them will form a new private political alliance to put an end to the political turmoil that has occurred again. This is 2nd Triumvirate It is called.
The composition in which one person stands out and the political opponent is defeated was the same as in the first Triumvirate.
Caesar's adopted child Octavianus in the Second Triumvirate Stands out. Antonius Was under the rule of the Roman Republic Ptolemy in Egypt Cleopatra Octavianus I plan to defeat him, but I fail.
Rather than Antonius Is Cleopatra Love at first sight and no longer look after Rome, Antonius' wife in his home country Octavianus' sister Even though she left behind, she even made a girl and divorced. Octavianus It made the confrontation with and decisive.
Octavianus at the same time as the Ptolemy dynasty was destroyed Settles internal turmoil I let you.
Birth of the Roman Empire
Octavianus Settled Rome 27 BC ..
Augustus from the Senate Given the title of (dignity) and Imperial Rome The era of
Caesar Tends to downplay the republican system such as the Senate, but Octavianus Respects the republican system and is a leading citizen among the citizens, Princeps To call himself. That said, it's a superficial story, and in fact it's almost a key position and has political power.
This politics is head of state Called (Principate), effectively Octavianus Became an emperor and began dictatorship.
Imperial Rome in the last 27 years Roman Peace for about 200 years since the beginning of It will be an era of prosperity so called (Pax Romana).
Added on December 1, 2009