The Empire

• Newfound wealth and expanding boundaries are bringing issues to Rome
• Discontent in lower classes
• military disorder 
• Economic Turmoil
• As Rome grew the gap between rich and poor grew
• The wealthy owned huge estates and many enslaved people
• Many POWs from past wars
• Smaller farmers, Ex-soldiers, found it hard to compete with the huge expansive farms
• sold their farms, becoming homeless
• Became regional farm workers or went to cities to try to find work 
• became part of the Urban Poor, 1/4 of Rome's population 
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus tried to help Rome's Poor
• As tribunes, they tried to limit the size of estates and  give land to the poor 
• Because of their ideas, they both met gruesome ends as they made enemies of many senators 
• A civil war ensued after their deaths
• Military Upheaval 
• Once loyal military began to break down 
• Generals began seizing power for themselves
• offered the poor land and the poor owed all allegiance to their commanders 
• It became possible for a military leader who was backed up by his forces to seize power by force
• Julius Ceasar's Take Over
• Ceaser joined forces with Pompey and Crassus to creat a triumvirate and rule Rome 
• Ceaser Was a genius military leader
• served one year as consul and named himself governor of Gaul during 58-50 bc Ceaser led his tromps on a trip to conquer all of Gaul
• Successes in Gual made him very popular 
• Pompey began to fear Ceaser's Ambitions
• Ceaser defied the senate's order making his armies march on Rome, Popey fled leaving Ceaser to take control 
• Ceaser's Reforms
• Ruled as an absolute ruler who held all power
• Made some reforms 
• Granted citizenship to people in Roman provinces 
• expanded the senate
• He helped the poor by creating jobs
• Many nobles began to grow weary of Ceaser and on March 15, 44bc he was stabbed to death 
• Beginning Of The Empire 
• After Ceasar's death, civil war broke out again in Rome 
• destroyed what was left of the republic 
• Ceasars 18 yo Grand Nephew, Mark Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus joined forces to take the Assasins out of power 
• Ruled for 10 years as the second triumvirate
• Ended in Jealousy and violence
• Octavious forced Lepidus to retire and he and Antony became enemies
•  While leading troops in Anatolia Antony met Cleopatra and fell in love with her
• he followed her to Egypt 
• Octavian said that Antony would lead from Egypt and another civil war broke out
• Octavian defeated forces of Cleopatra and Antony  
• Cleopatra and Antony committed suicide
• Octavian restored some ideals of the republic but became the absolute ruler of Rome
• eventually accepted the title of Agustus  
• Vast and powerful Empire 
• Rome was at its peak from 27 bc to 180 ad a period of peace called pax Romana occurred
• Controlled 3 million square miles of land 
• Sound Gov
• Held their empire in part from their efficient govRulers helped
• Agustus was Rome's most able leader 
• Stabilized the frontier, Glorified Rome with the huge buildings
• created a system of government that existed for centuries
• After Agustus died in 14 Ad his system of gov maintained the empire
• Agriculture and Trade 
• Ag was the biggest roman  industry 
• Almost 90% of people in Rome were involver in ag 
• Luxury items were shipped in through trade 
• The Roman World
• Slaves and captivity 
• widespread in essential to the economy 
• most slaves were conquered people 
• worked in city and on farm
• Gods and Goddesses 
• at first worshipped powerful spirits or forces
• gov and religion closely involved
• Society and culture 
• many lived extravagantly 
• but many more barely had necessities 
• many games such as gladiators and races to entertain people