Morgan Tsvangirai and Lucius Sergius Catilina in history are one of the candidates that did take part in trying to overthrow the government. Morgan Tsvangirai was from Zimbabwe while Sergius Catilina was a Roman senator from the Rome Empire before Christ. Both individuals did take courage and strong beliefs using their techniques to throw out their political leaders and take thrown to the crown. Tsvangirai and Catilina do have similarities and differences in how they tried to overthrow their governments. They all had assignation attempts on their opposition to overthrow the government. With the above facts, this paper will compare and contrast Morgan Tsvangirai, and the Roman senator Lucius Sergius Catilina attempts on overthrowing the government.
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai was a Zimbabwean politician and former prime minister from 2009-2013. He was born in the year 1952 10th March and was the opposition leader of Robert Mugabe former president for Zimbabwe with the party known as Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai (MDC-T) where he was the president. He was the first born of nine children two girls and seven boys (Hudleston 2005, p.2). In 2002, Tsvangirai lost the presidential election to Mugabe and again contested for the 2008 election. These were the controversial election where according to officials he was the lead candidate by 47.8% votes placing Mugabe second with 43.2%. Tsvangirai claimed that he had won the polls leading a second-round election. The second round was because of the opposition claim that between the moth of election and announcement of official results the tallies could have been in tamper (Moyo 2009, p.556). He later rejected the second round offer because of lack of fairness and freedom in the election that led to the death of 200 people by violence and government supporter's intimidation.
Lucius Sergius Catilina was born in 108 BC and was a Roman senator form old patrician family in Rome. His family was of consular heritage with parents Belliena and Lucius Sergius fortunes declining regarding social and financial status. In 89BC with military profession, he served under Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo in Cicero and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus political war. He remained politically secure even when he had no significant role (Krostenko 2004, p.38). In his life, there was speculation of murder to claim wealth and marry a beautiful woman Aurelia Orestilia. He had killed his son and first wife to make the possibility of second marriage to a woman who was the daughter of Gnaeus Aufidius Orestes, a consul of 71 BC (Brennan 2000, p.123). Cicero accused Catilina of killing his brother in law at the tomb of Catulus. He mutilated, killed and beheaded Marcus Marius and walked through the streets with the head that he deposited at the Temple of Apollo at Sulla's feet. Additionally, there was a case of adultery with a Vestal virgin, but the leader of Optimates helped him and testified bringing him free from the allegations. In 68 BC, he was a praetor and the next two years saw him as the proprietorial governor for Africa. When he returned home, he took part of consular elections as a candidate, but for the previous speculation of abuses, he turned down for the candidacy seat.
Both figures have a similarity in that they had they desired power and both used masses. Tsvangirai was a political leader for the party movement for democratic change and used his celebrations to try to overthrow the government from Mugabe. Tsvangirai wanted to be the ruler of Zimbabwe, and with his party, he carried on rallies in the streets to gain support for the upcoming elections (Zamchiya 2013, p.958). Similar, Catilina did want in vein power, tried to take part in the polls of counsel, he had a mass army of about 10,000 people and used this army to fight for dominance in Rome (Odahl 2010, p.6). Tsvangirai and Catilina used masses to overthrow the government they believed that if they have support, would take what they want. Concerning power, Catilina and Tsvangirai did try to overthrow their governments and did fail at some stages but did not give up. Tsvangirai in 2002 did take part in Zimbabwe elections and failed as a candidate losing to Mugabe. Later in 2008, he fought back again for power but failed in the election one that was controversial because of the rule of 50 plus vote count of the votes. Catilina in 66 BC return, appealed for consul seat, and there was rejection, but again came back and appealed for the candidacy. In 65 BC, he was in support from people including many consular and did gain the candidate seat. Later Cicero and Antonius Hybrida defeated him in the elections.
In contrast, Tsvangirai tried to use democracy to acquire power while Catilina used force to fight for control. Tsvangirai used elections as a tool to fight for power, and when he lost, he waited for the next elections to take part in the fight, and the man died of disease. Catilina did use elections, but when finally lost, marched up his army to fight for power. He died during the battle with Cisero army and believed in winning a conflict by the fist. Tsvangirai failed in elections while Catilina did so by death in overthrowing the government.
Assassination attempts
Both Catilina and Tsvangirai had assassination attempts according to their opponents Cicero and Mugabe. Tsvangirai in 2000 was in arrest by Mugabe officers and charged him with treason. Mugabe, in this case, was in accusing of having a plan to stop Mugabe run for the 2002 elections. He had told 40,000 supporters that if Mugabe did not step down before elections, he would violently be distant from the seat. , later on, said that it was a history warning of dictators who refuse to go for peace and lead to them to be detached violently. Another attempt was on June 2003 where made a press conference and said that from second June to sixth June the president was not in charge of the country of Zimbabwe, he was busy repressing the will of the people (Hudleston 2005, p.3).
Catilina being a fruitless candidate in the consular elections, he did not take this jokily. He had a conspiracy, sent an army in Etruria by using Gaius Manlius, and made final preparations in Rome. His plot was to murder senators and finally Cicero. Quintus, a senator, warned Cicero of the attempt and that morning guards were in front of his house scaring the conspirators away (Pagán 2013, p.2). On the following day, the Senate was in summoning in the temple of Jupiter, and Cicero asked Catilina to move out of the sermon and gave his speech. Cicero address was about Catalina's plans and the Senate to restore faith in him that Catilina was planning a conspiracy. He told the Senate to look back on his family history. Five letters were in a note for conspiracy and Cicero hijacked them and read to Senate as proof of the plot. The conspirators were in arrest and death was their final judgment. Cicero gave a speech to the public of what happened and made this a conspiracy in Rome. There is the distinction between Catilina and Tsvangirai assassination where Tsvangirai used warming to Mugabe while Catilina tried to use war.
Morgan Tsvangirai goals
Morgan Tsvangirai was a free and fair man fighter and had the intention to unite and fight for the poor. Having completed high school, he joined workers on a mine where he worked so hard and gained the position of a supervisor after ten years from being a plant operator. In the year 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence, and Tsvangirai joined the ZANU-PF party. He then becomes a senior official for the party that the leader was by Robert Mugabe his political rival. Additionally, the position of chairperson for the branch of the Associated Mine Workers Union was his and later become the executive person. With years, he was a prominent person in Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions as Secretary General. Mugabe came to power, and after three years, he ordered an attack by special force trained in North Korea to attack a suspected revolution led by Joshua Nkomo. The operation code was Gukurahundi and killed many people (Murambadoro 2015, p.35). Tsvangirai saw this as sad and told people that he would see justice come to be if he attained power. These led to him becoming the oppositional leader for former president Robert Mugabe.
The political climate of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe at this period had a very unstable ruling with a leader ruling since 1924. He was a dictator refusing to step down from the seat ruling for decades. The president led the country for more than thirty years with army ruling the streets. Its tough times for minorities to speak as fear was the feeling in people that was because of the Fifth Brigade attack in Matabeleland. Over 20,000 civilians were dead as part of political genocide. ZAPU collaborated with ZANU-PF creating a one party rule state with one president to rule. There was a lack of fairness, and this situation made way for conspiracy, people were waiting for someone who would try to shake the government. People build a strong relation with Tsvangirai as they saw hope the ending rule of a dictator.
Lucius Sergius Catilina goals
Catilina aim was status quo having a big difference in their goals with Tsvangirai. He was a person of immense economic and social upheaval. He wanted to regain upper class and went through the failure of conspiracy to free himself from lack of land and a lower level of debt (Galassi 2014, p.10). His family was of high social standing, and his father left him a house in Palatine Hill. Surrounded by less noble but wealthy families, he held excessive contempt for richness like the Novus Homos Cicero and wanted to take over the republic. He had an attractive and robust personality making him think that he was the best to be winning in the consul. Famous parties were in support of him, and he was sure for a win, but when he lost, he had the plot to overthrow the government.
The political climate of Rome
In the Roman Empire, there was the civil war where men were in need to fight the war. Catilina did serve in the war under Pompey's father where he gained the good reputation. There was the economic gap in Roman society people with wealth while others were living in poverty. Catilina was a victim and took the chance to fight for the future that led to him trying to overthrow the government. He had support within the government and who additionally did assist him in his political growth.
Conclusion
The paper has compared and contrasted Morgan Tsvangirai and the Roman senator Lucius Sergius Catilina in their attempts of overthrowing the government. Tsvangirai and Catilina do have different but common similarities goals of defeating their government and purpose for power. They both share the common goal of power with good status quo to where Tsvangirai was a person of minority coming from a family without a lot to offer he wanted to gain status in Zimbabwe and be the saviour of all. He was strong and dared to fight for the poor like Catilina he wished to reach and ripe for power and wealth for his debts and land. They both saw the government as corrupt, and there was the need for change. Tsvangirai saw Mugabe government as the dictatorship where people had no voice, and as those people, he could create sound for them. Catilina was among the minority classified as inferior in the society and wanted to change this and show the rich that their wealth can go. Their goals were to rule by voting giving people the decision to elect them even though this did not happen. Catilina using consulship did want legally to overthrow the government and Tsvangirai did want by choice of people to select him free and fair. In the end, Mugabe agreed with Tsvangirai in 2008, and the offer position was prime minister that he did serve while Catilina legacy is still in the history of the Romans and world history books.
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