Just as the constant conflict between the Plebeians and the Patricians plagued the whole of Roman history, the grand republic was stricken with the continuous battle between great individuals and the senate. By its very nature, Rome is based on triumph and glory and thus the rise of individuals was inevitable. One such individual was Julius Caesar; he rose to power and eventually declaring himself dictator for life and completely nullifying the power of the Senate. Obviously, the senate resented the power that Caesar gave to himself and thus concluded that killing him was necessary to return the glory of senate and the republic. However, killing Caesar was not the solution to the senate’s problem, for the ideas of individual triumph were ingrained into Roman society. The time of the republic was over.
From the very beginning Rome was a place of violence as well as triumph and glory. It began with the brothers Remus and Romulus; after the founding of Rome they soon became very jealous of each other and soon entered into conflict. Romulus won and the personal glory and triumph of victory over his brother was his. Later in its history, the young men of Rome, lusting after the Sabine women, conquered the nearby tribe, capturing and raping the women and claiming them in their triumph. Even the republic itself was born of violence and glory, it was the rape of Lucretia that led to the people of Rome overthrowing the old Etruscan kings and founding the glorious republic. The republic was designed around a two-class system, the plebeians and the patricians. The patrician class created the republic in order to preserve their own power and triumph, which in itself undermines the very idea of a republic. The quest for power and glory is a deep part of the Roman way and the foundation for most of its ideals. This was a great flaw in the creation of the republic, a flaw that would see to its downfall.
Caesar was not the first great individual to rise to power in the republic. The rise of great individuals started as early as the Punic wars with Carthage. After Hannibal had finally been defeated using the tactic of Guerilla warfare, Scipio led the Roman army, in the third Punic war, all the way through Spain and into Africa; arriving finally at the walls of Carthage where he defeated them and salted the land in a symbolic and practical gesture to prevent anything from sprouting from the spot ever again. He did this not only Rome’s but also for his own personal triumph and glory. After Scipio came the reformist brothers Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus who gained much personal power and prestige through the promise of reforms such as land distribution, social reforms, and debt forgiveness. They became very prominent individuals and took on more powerful roles, thus diminishing the power of the senate. Tiberius Gracchus was ended during a riot when he announced that he would seek re-election and Gaius killed himself after being declared a public enemy because of his attempt to make headway in his policies. Around 30 years later two new great individuals arose to take power away from the Senate. Marius and Sulla began a civil war that would led to Sulla entering Rome with his army and taking power away from the Senate. After his tyrannical reign, which including the use of proscription lists, he returned power to the Senate. One can speculate that after so many individuals taking power and personal glory from that of the Senate, they would take no chances with Caesar.
Caesar began his campaign of personal glory with the creation of the First Triumphant, where in he, Pompey, and Crassus divided up the Roman territory and ruled them themselves, completely removing the Senate from the equation. After Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, the Senate declared him as an enemy of the Senate and the people of Rome. He then “crossed the Rubicon” forcing the Senate to evacuate the city. Caesar declared himself dictator for life, perma-consul, thus completely undermining the power of the Senate. By assassinating him, the Senate believed that the republic would be restored. This thought had merit as after the reigns of Tiberius, Gaius, and even Sulla, the republic was restored and the Senate was put back the position of power. However, Caesar was the final straw and after the next generation of Octavian and Antony form the second triumphant, the power of the Senate had died and the republic had finally crumbled.
From Scipio to Caesar, the republic was riddled with great individuals rising above the power of the Senate. It was only a matter of time for a group of individuals to come along to finally end the Senate’s power. The assassination of Julius Caesar was merely a vain attempt to maintain something that had already died.
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