The Roman Empire

The city-state of Rome became a Republic in 509 BC. The Republic won an overseas domain starting with the Punic Wars. The Second Punic War was both a characterising instant and a rotating issue in Roman annals much like the Second World War was for the United States. The Roman crusade in Spain was as important for Rome as the American crusade in Europe in 1944-45. After the Second Punic War, the Roman republic was supreme all through the Mediterranean. By the end of the first 100 years BC Rome controlled nearly all of the renowned world (the Mediterranean Basin). And its scheme of government altered from that of a Republic to an autocracy with the creation of the Principite, under the first emperor, Augustus Caesar. With Caesar started the two centuries of the Pax Romana. During this time, the Roman Empire became a commonwealth of states and not a assemblage of conquered provinces. Rome, except for Parthia/Persia, no longer had any coordinated risks on its frontiers. The genuine risk came from the unorganized Barbarian tribes whose conquest supplemented not anything to the Empire. The Empire was strategically defensive other than offensive. The down turn and drop of the Western Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries AD presents an unsettling aligned to the late twentieth 100 years in certain respects.

The Rise of the Roman Empire can be contributed to many factors. Those factors would include strength in the military, society, leadership, religious, and architectural aspects of the Roman Empire. To start with, the rapid expansion and the incredible success of the Roman Empire was largely due to the Roman army. It was first formed to defend the city of Rome, but it went on to conquer a vast empire. The early Roman army was made up of volunteers, but soldiers that joined up for 20-25 years became paid professionals. People from lands conquered by Romans were also recruited into the army ranks. The army made the people feel secure and reassured them that their children would grow up in a safe environment. The army helped to defend the land that it already had, and also to protect the newly conquered territory from invasion or revolt form those conquered. Secondly, Roman society was highly organized. People were divided into citizens and slaves. Citizens themselves were divided into different ranks, and had special rights and duties that were denied to non-citizens. They could vote in elections and serve in the army. But they were also expected to pay taxes. By AD 212, all free members of the empire were allowed to become Roman citizens. Slaves had no such privileges. Many of them were prisoners of war. They were bought and sold by wealthy Romans who put them to work in their homes and estates. By allowing the citizens special rights and privileges, it gave them a sense of belonging, and in turn, the people stood behind their country. Without the support of its citizens, the empire would never have ...