Republican Rome was now at the height of its power, but the wars which had been crowned with such success abroad brought on evils within the state which were destined to destroy it. The task of governing a world empire and carrying on the great game of diplomacy by which that empire had in large measure been built up, naturally called for a more centralized and rapid exercise of authority than was possible with the euknbrous methods off the Mar centitio. The power of the state .
passed into the hands of the seaate. Mete grew up at the same time a nobility of the robe, consisting of those who had enriched themselves as rulers of the newly conquered provinces which Rome for a long time.regarded as sub+ ject territories merely arld.as fruitful solutes of revenue. So wealthy• had the state become, indeed, that in the second 'half pf the 2d century s.c. the citizens of Rotne•were freed from aii burdens of taxation, a measure which attracted to Rome a large population of idlers, whictude rived its chief sustenance from the largesses.of the nobles who found it necessary to .court the favor of the mob. Throughout Italy the rich Roman office holders established vast landed estates, which were East coming to be worked by slaves, and the or farmers, ruined by this formidable competition, carne in great numbers to Rome to swell the ranks of the propertyless. Between this great 'mese of poor proletarians and the small class of officials, senators and landlords, strife was in the nature of things bound to come, and it Tins this strife between the Wei/notes or the aristocratic party and the Pops/ores or proletarians that, sltiihnib' used by ambitious politicians, brought about the fall of the republic. of the popular cham pions were the brothers Tiberius and Cants Gracchus (qq.v.) who wrested from the sena torial party an agrarian law favorable to the homeless masses and regained some of the ancient pow'ers of the popular assemblies, but fell victims both to the hatred of their enemies (133 and 121). The .war against jugu•tha (q.v.), which revealed the shatueletts corruption to which the ruling party, bad sunk, brought forth another popular leader in Marius (q.v.) whose reputation was increased by the splendid victories over the Cimbri and the Teutones the years 102-101. Moderate at first in his views, Marius was driven, by the agitations of demagogues, to violence. In 90 a.e. the Italians rose in insurrection to epforce their demand for the rights of Roman citizenship, and though the allies were defeated it was deemed expedient to grant them their demands. The termination of this struggle, known as the Social War, in 88 s.c., was followed by a conflict between Marius and Sulla (q.v.), an adherent of the senatorial party, for control in the state, in the course of which both factious were guilty of dreadful excesses. In the year 81 the Marian
party was finally overthrown and Sulla, pro claimed dictator, enthroned himself in power by a bloody proscription of his enemies, and pro ceeded to revolutionize the constitution of the state so as to place the sole power in the hands of the senate and the aristocratic party. But neither senate nor people was thenceforth to govern in Rome. The example of aristocratic rule based on military force had been set by Sulla and the struggle between parties now passed into a struggle betreen individuals for control. Gmens. Pompous b his vic tories over Sertorius in Spain and. e suppres sion of the servile insurrection un er Sparta, pis attained immense popularity and this was increased by his readiness to make concessions; to popular demands. After his triumphant campaigns against the Mediterranean pirates and Mithridates (q.v.) he was for a time master of Reline.: The senate, however, stirred to an assertion of its rights by its successful course in the conspiracy of Cetiline (q.v.) now set itself to oppose his will and Pompey, desirous of redeeming the promises made his veterans of allotments of land in Italy, joined with Gains Julius Caesar and Licutius Crassus (q.v.) to form the first Triumvirate which for a time was•absolute in Rome (60 ac) Caesar was a leader of the popular party and he aimed at beconting the sole power in the state. Crassus died in 53, and in 49 war broke out between Cesar and Pompey: The former had under his boo:Inland a splendid army trained by years of campaigning in Gaul and Britain and in the bat Me• of Pharsalia (48)• Caesar was victorious. Pompey fled to. Egypt and there perished and the remnants of has party were wiped out at Thapsus in 46 and Munda in the following year. Cesar was now undisputed master of the empire, but fell, after a short rule, beneath the daggers of Brutus and his associates, and his death was followed by the•nenewal of civil war. Gains Octavius, Caesar's aeihe* and adopted son, and Marcus Antonius, 's lieutedant, both aspired to be his suecessor,hut joined in 43 with Aurelius Lepidus in a second Trium virate to overthrow the party of Brutus and Cassius. This was accomplished at Philippi ih 42, and Octavius and Marcus Antonius, setting ande the weak Lepidus, divided between them the Roman world. But while Octavius governed his western realm with energy, Marcus Anto nius gave himself, up to the pleasures of Cleo patra's court. War brolee.out between the two and in the naval battle of Actium (31) the forces of Marcus Antonius were utterly routed. fell by his own hand and Octavius was left without a rival. With Actium begiais the Roman Empire.