Ancient Rome

Unit 1: Part 2

• Explain the difference between Direct and Representative Democracy.

• What city state first introduced democracy and why?

Location of Rome

• Rome is in modern day Italy

• Area controlled by Roman Empire

The Roman Republic: 509 B.C.- 27 B.C.

• Like Athens, Greece; Rome began as a city-state controlled by a king

• 509 B.C. kings of Rome overthrown and replaced by a form of democracy; a republic

• Roman Republic: power was held by the citizens who elected officials to represent them– This introduced the idea of representative

democracy

• Representative Democracy– The people elect officials to represent them– The U.S. is an example of this– Romans divided the powers of the republican govt

among different bodies of the govt called branches

• Branches: divisions of a government – Ex: Executive, Judicial, Legislative

Wait…this all sounds familiar (at least I hope it does)

• Through the creation of the Republic and branches the Romans established:– Checks and Balances: none of the 3 branches of

the Roman Republic could act without the permission or supervision of the other branches

– Separation of Powers: the act of spreading a government’s powers among its branches

Social Structure of Romans

• Patricians: landowners and ruling class– Only group elected to office

• Plebeians: craftspeople, merchants, small farmers, less wealthy landowners

• Both groups could vote, only patricians could be officials/elected representative

• Roman Senate– Select group of 300 patricians elected for life

Equality? Yes and no.

• By 287 all male Roman citizens were equal under the law

• However, select patricians and plebeians for a separate ruling class (not very democratic)

• Wealthy families compete for power leading to disorder

All “good” things come to an end- End of Roman Republic

• Roman Republic was constantly at war• Roman Legions: Rome’s armies that fought to

increase Rome’s territory• Political rivalries• Army allegiance to their general, not Rome• Civil War

The Empire Strike Back…Again!

• Julius Caesar– 49 B.C. Caesar and his Legions seized Rome

• Caesar becomes Dictator of Rome

– Dictator: ruler who assumes sole power over his/her state

• -marked the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

                                                                                                            

                                                                                                            

Ides of March

• March 15, 44 B.C.• Julius Caesar was assassinated• Assassination: to murder someone for political

reasons• Reason: Roman Senators wanted to restore

the Republic

                            

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Establishment of the Roman Empire27 B.C.-1453 A.D.

• Marked the end of democracy in Rome• Rome became an autocracy

– Autocracy: government ruled by one person• Rome would be ruled by an Emperor• The Senate lost most of its power• Rome continued to conquer territory• Emperor Augustus: period of Pax Romana

(Roman Peace)-200 years

Roman Republic Roman Empire

Hadrian’s Wall• 73 miles across the

border• “Separate Romans from

the [Celtic] Barbarians”

Divide and Conquer? • Partition of the Roman Empire

– Partition: to divide– The empire was partitioned in 286 A.D.– Roman Empire became too large for one man to rule– Partitioned into 2 parts

• Eastern Empire and Western Empire• Byzantine Empire: name given to Rome’s Eastern

Empire• Constantinople: became the most important city

in the East. Would eventually become the capital of the Roman Empire

Fall of the Western Roman Empire

• Romans had to hold the barbarians of Germany back; strain on military

• 300 A.D. Roman soldiers removed from German border; Germans move in and conquer last of Western Roman land– No army=bandits and criminals roaming freely

Results of the Fall of the West

• People were afraid to travel and trade• Movement of people, goods, and information

slowed• Economic growth and learning greatly

decreased• Western Europe became “backwards” and fell

into the Middle Ages

Fall of the East

• 500-600s German Tribes raid East• 600-700s Arab tribes raid East• Warfare damaged agriculture and education• Empire could not maintain its power, hold or

govern the entire Mediterranean world after these invasion

• Small and weak Constantinople is all that remains

The Final Straw

• The Ottoman Empire began invading the Eastern Roman Empire in the 1400s

• The Ottomans were Turkish Muslims• 1453: Ottomans capture Constantinople• This marks the end of the Roman Empire