Crisis of the Roman Republic
Political instability c. 134–30 BC
Crisis of the Roman Republic
The crisis of the Roman Republic was an extended period of political instability and social unrest from about c. 133 BC to 30 BC that culminated in the demise of the Roman Republic and the advent of the Roman Empire. The crisis was rooted in deep structural tensions—chief among them the breakdown of the political code known as the mos maiorum, widening inequality among wealth and land, and class conflict between the traditional aristocracy (optimates) and those who sought power by championing the cause of the common people (the populares). These factors were compounded over time as leaders like Marius, Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar established armies personally devoted to them rather than the state. Traditionally, the expansion of citizenship (with all its rights, privileges, and duties) was viewed negatively by the contemporary Sallust, the modern Edward Gibbon, and others of their respective schools, both ancient and modern, because it caused internal dissension, disputes with Rome...
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