Parte 1, Cesare e Pompeio

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Notas sur le systema politic del romanos usque le guerra civil inter Cesare e Pompeio (in sex partes):

(1) le republica e su functionarios,

(2) Le systema politic roman,

(3) Le valores del aristocratia roman,

(4) Mario, Sulla, e Catillina,

(5) Pompeio, Crasso, Cesare, e le emergentia del triumvirato,

(6) Le victorias de Cesare in Gallia e su guerra contra Pompeio:

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(1) Le republica e su functionarios:

Secundo le tradition, Roma esseva establite per Romulo, qui esseva su prime rege. Sex reges governava le citate post Romulo. Le ultime, Tarquinio Superbo, esseva expellite in 509 B.C.

Le romanos tunc establiva le republica, un parola que in latino esseva "res publica", o sia "le cosa public". Secundo iste systema, un gruppo de romanos senior, generalmente ric e assatis vetule, formava le Senato, un corpore legislative.

Le functionarios principal del branca executive esseva le consules, qui presideva sur le governamento pro periodos de un anno. Gradualmente le branca executive roman creava altere functionarios.

Inter illes esseva le praetores, o judices, aediles, qui supervideva le construction e le mantenentia de vias, cloacas, le provision de aqua potabile e nutrimentos.

Le tribunos veniva plus tarde post conflictos con le nobiles e le classes social basse, le plebes. Lor function esseva proteger le plebes del abusos del nobiles.

Le quaestores esseva functionarios qui custodiava le moneta del stato. Linguas moderne usa le parola "tresorero" pro describer lor function.

Un aristocrate juvene e ambitiose sovente comenciava su carriera in le armea roman. Ille tunc retornava a Roma pro offerer se como candidato in le electiones pro quaestores.

Inter omne le functionarios, le quaestores habeva un minimo de prestigio, e un juvene politico ambitiose essayava a devenir functionarios progressivemente plus prestigiose, secundo un systema nominate le "cursus honorum" (le curso de honores).

Post servir como un quaestor, un tal politico essayava a devenir un tribuno, tunc un aedile, tunc un praetore, e finalmente un consule. Como le consules, le periodo de servicio de omne iste functionarios esseva un anno sin le possibilitate de reelection al mesme officio.

Iste forma de governamento functionava assatis ben in le prime annos del republica, quando Roma esseva un stato assatis parve in le Italia central. Ma circa 200 B.C. Roma habeva devenite un potentia grandissime in le Mediterraneo, e le systema de governamento republican esseva inadequate pro governar populationes plus grande.

Il es difficile determinar exactemente proque le republica roman eventualmente faceva fiasco. Ma il ha duo factores importante, le natura del systema politic roman e le gradual cambio de valores in le classes alte del republica roman.

(2) Le systema politic roman:

Quanto al systema politic, le romanos non habeva le partitos politic de statos moderne, e gradualmente cata politico debeva accumular su proprie ressources politic pro progreder in le systema e acquirer un maximo de prestigio ("dignitas" [dignitate]) e influentia ("auctoritas" [autoritate] in latino).

Il habeva diverse manieras disponibile a un politico juvene pro augmentar su dignitate e authoritate. Un possibilitate esseva devenir le duce de un armea (exercitus). Un altere possibilitate esseva ascender le scala del cursus honorum (curso de honores), deveniente finalmente un membro del senato o le governator de un provincia.

Pro complir su ambitiones, un juvene aristocrata recipeva le assistentia de su amici (amicos), personas qui le adjuvava con favores e que ille mesme adjudava con favores reciproc, e de su clientes, personas del classes social plus basse que ille appoiava con favores e qui le appoiava in su campanias politic.

Tout simplement, le politica roman esseva un systema de manovras inter le nobiles e lor amicos e clientes pro augmentar al maximo lor privilegios social e economic. In le Statos Unite, nos ha un systema simile, que nos describe con le nomine "cronysism".

(3) Le valores del aristocratia roman:

In le prime annos del republica, le romanos esseva un populo sever e quasi puritanic. Le aristocratas roman non usava lor richessa pro impressionar le classes plus povre. Lor vita esseva characterisate per le idealismo de servir le stato.

Ma quando Roma deveniva plus potente e non esseva menaciate constantemente per invasores como le punicos, con le tempore le aristocratas del urbe deveniva de plus in plus ric. Ben que illes professava le mesme idealismo del servicio al stato, gradualmente le objectivo principal de lor vita esseva gratificar se.

In le prime epocha del republica, tal gratification veniva de successo militar e successo politic in le cursus honorum. Ma circa 100 B.C. crescente numeros de romanos non voleva effortiar se a accumular prestigio secundo iste methodos traditional.

Le resultato esseva un disintegration gradual del systema legal del republica durante que augmentante numeros de aristocratas essayava a sasir le controlo del stato per manieras violente.

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Caesar and Pompey

Notes on the political system of the Romans up to the civil war between Caesar and Pompey (in six parts):

(1) The Republic and its Office Holders,

(2) The Roman Political System,

(3) The Values of the Roman Aristocracy,

(4) Marius, Sulla, and Catilina,

(5) Pompey, Crassus, Caesar and the emergence of the Triumvirate

(6) Caesar's Victories in Gaul and his War Against Pompey

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(1) The Republic and its Office Holders:

According to tradition, Rome was founded by Romulus, who was its first king. Six kings governed the city after Romulus. The last one, Tarquinius Superbus, was expelled in 509 B.C.

The Romans then established the republic, a word that in Latin was "res publica," or "the public thing." According to this system, a group of senior Romans, generally rich and rather old, formed the Senate, a legislative body.

The principal office holders of the executive branch were the consuls, who presided over the government for terms lasting a year. Gradually the Roman executive branch created other offices.

Among them were the Praetors, or judges, and the aediles, who supervised the construction and maintenance of roads and sewers and the provision of food and potable water.

The tribunes came later on after conflicts with the nobles and the lower social classes, the plebes. Their function was to protect the plebes from the abuses of the nobles.

The Quaestors were officers who took care of the money of the state. Modern languages use the word "treasurer" to describe their function.

A young and ambitious aristocrat often started his career in the Roman army. He then returned to Rome to run as a candidate in the elections for quaestors.

Among all the officers, the quaestors had the smallest amount of prestige, and a young ambitious politician tried to go on to progressively more prestigious offices, according to a system called the "cursus honorum" (the road to honors).

After serving as a quaestor, such a politician tried to become a tribune, then an aedile, then a praetor, and finally a consul. As with consuls, the term of service was one year without the possibility of re-election to the same office.

This form of government worked well enough in the first years of the republic, when Rome was a rather small state in central Italy. But around 200 B.C. Rome had become a very large power in the Mediterranean, and the system of republican government was inadequate to govern larger populations.

It is difficult to determine exactly why the Roman republic eventually failed. But there are two important factors, the nature of the Roman political system and the gradual change of values in the upper classes of the Roman republic.

(2) The Roman Political System:

In their political system, the Romans did not have the political parties of modern states, and each politician had to gradually accumulate his own political resources to progress in the system and acquire a maximum of prestige ("dignitas") and influence ("auctoritas").

There were various ways available to a young politician for increasing his prestige and influence. One possibility was to become the general of an army (exercitus). Another possibility was to go up the ladder of the cursus honorum (road to honors), becoming finally a member of the senate and the governor of a province.

To accomplish his ambitions, a young aristocrat was helped out by his friends (amicos), people that helped him with favors and that he also helped out with reciprocal favors, and by his clients, people of the lower social classes that he helped out with favors and who supported him in his political campaigns.

Quite simply, Roman politics was a system of maneuvering among the nobles and their friends and clients to increase to the maximum their social and economic privileges. In the United States, we have a similar system, which we describe with the word "cronyism."

(3) The Values of the Roman Aristocracy:

In the first years of the republic, the Romans were an austere and almost puritanical people. Roman aristocrats did not flaunt their riches to impress the poorer classes. Their life was characterized by the ideals of serving the state.

But when Rome became more powerful and was not constantly threatened by invaders like the Carthaginians, in time the aristocrats of the city became increasingly wealthy. Though they professed the same idealism of service to the state, gradually their primary aim in life was to please themselves.

In the early republican period, such gratification came from military success and political success in the cursus honorum. But around 100 B.C. growing numbers of Romans did not want to put forth the effort needed for accumulating prestige according to these traditional methods.

The result was a gradual disintegration of the legal system of the republic while increasing numbers of aristocrats tried to seize control of the state in violent ways.