The Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was a period of the ancient Roman civilization that lasted from the fall of the Roman Kingdom in 509 BCE until the founding of the Roman Empire in 27 BCE. Rome's dominance over the entire Mediterranean region was established during that time, expanding from its near surroundings. (Marie and Boren 279). Within the first two centuries of its existence, the Roman Republic spread from central Italy to the entire Italian peninsula. In the following century, the Roman Republic expanded to North Africa, the current Southern France, as well as most of the Iberian Peninsula (Marie and Boren 281).
Internal Tensions and the End of the Roman Republic
During the next two centuries, towards the end of the first century BCE, the Roman Republic expanded to the rest of the modern-day Greece and France, as well as the better part of the Eastern Mediterranean. During that time, internal tensions began to create a series of civil wars, which ended with Julius Caesar's assassination. Additionally, the senatorial control eventually got challenged around 82 BCE by Dictator Sulla, who had several senators murdered, and decreased the membership of the senate to 600 from 900, with most of them being non-patricians. The Roman Senate gave extraordinary authorities to Octavian, and the adoption of the Augustus title in 27 BCE defined the end of the Roman Republic, as well as the beginning of Roman Empire (Marie and Boren 284).
Expansion and Strategies of the Roman Republic
One of the major factors that contributed to the evolution of the Roman Republic was the urge to gain more land. The conditions in Italy during the Roman Republic made it difficult for Rome and the neighboring states to avoid wars, and since the Roman Republic had a powerful military, it expanded quickly. The Roman Republic also evolved due to its use of alliance and conquest strategies (Marie and Boren 286).
Works Cited
Marie, Stella, and Henry C. Boren. "The Roman Republic." The Classical World 59.8 (1966): 279-286. Web.
