Question

What factors allowed Rome to become a successful empire ? What political, geographic, social and other factors help explain Rome’s success?

Answer 1

• Rome went from being one of many city-states in the Italian Peninsula to being the center of the most powerful empire in the world between the fifth century BCE and the first century CE.
• During the Republican period of Rome, political offices and institutions were designed to prevent any one man from becoming too powerful. These systems began to break down in the first century BCE.
• Rome was able to gain its empire in large part by extending some form of citizenship to many of the people it conquered.
• Military expansion drove economic development, bringing enslaved people and loot back to Rome, which in turn transformed the city of Rome and Roman culture.

• Political institution

• As Rome expanded its influence over more and more areas, its political institutions proved both resilient and adaptable, allowing it to incorporate diverse populations.

• According to Roman tradition, the Republic began in 509 BCE when a group of noblemen overthrew the last king of Rome. The Romans replaced the king with two consuls—rulers who had many of the same powers as the king but were elected to serve one-year terms. Each consul could veto, or reject, the actions of the other consul.

• Although the office of consul probably did not exist in its final form until around 300 BCE, the idea behind this change—to prevent any one man from becoming too powerful—was present early on in Roman thought and shaped many of Rome’s political institutions.

• Roman political institutions reflected Roman society, which was divided into two classes: the patricians, wealthy elites, and the plebeians, the common people. Initially, only the patricians were able to hold political office and make important decisions. For example, plebeians could not join the Roman Senate—an advisory body unable to create laws on its own but whose recommendations were taken seriously by the consuls.

• To become a senator, a Roman had to have held a political office, and plebeians could not. Over time, however, the plebeians were able to gain more influence in the political system.

• Economic development

• Although Rome had little interest in managing the daily affairs of its allies, it had to adapt as its influence spread. Roads were a way to extend Roman military and economic power; they made the movement of both soldiers and goods easier and faster. The Romans also minted coins as their influence spread, and in 211 BCE they introduced a small silver coin called a denarius, which became the standard unit of currency for much of the Roman period.

• A standardized currency facilitated trade across the growing Roman world. Coins could be exchanged for any goods or services and were easy to transport. Currency made it easier to relocate and direct resources, and this in turn encouraged more economic interactions.

• The Romans also engaged in trade across the Mediterranean Sea. Their network of trading contacts expanded along with their political influence since trade relations were usually dependent on good political relations.

• The combination of fighting piracy, building roads, minting coins, and extending military protection over an increasingly large area created many opportunities for economic interactions and growth.

• Urban development of Rome

• Even as the empire expanded, all important political decisions for the empire were still made in Rome, and the city itself grew and changed with its empire.

• An increasingly large urban population required the development of sanitation systems to maintain a minimum level of public health. The Romans had developed a sewer system early in the city’s history. The first aqueduct—a structure to deliver water to the city over long distances—was built in 312 BCE, as was the first road, the Via Appia.