The Roman Empire

• the creation of the Roman Empire transformed Roman government, society, economy, & culture
• The Roman Empire has served throughout history as a model of political organization & control

IMOPORTANT TERMS:

• civil war : conflict between groups within the same country
• Julias Caesar : military leader who took over Rome
• triumvirate : group of 3 rulers
• Augustus : title given to Octavian meaning "exalted one"
• Pax Romana : "Roman peace"

The Republic Collapses

• Rome's increasing wealth and expanding boundaries brought many problems
• these problems led to a shakeup of the republic & the emergence of a new political system
• Economic Turmoil
• as Rome grew - the gap between rich and poor people widened
• small farmers found it difficult to compete with the large estates run by the labor of enslaved people
• 2 brothers (Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus) attempted to help the poor
• they were tribunes - proposed laws that limited the size of estates and gave land to the poor
• brothers made enemies with lots of senators - both met violent deaths
• after their deaths came civil war
• Military Upheaval
• as the republic became more unstable military generals started seizing power for themselves 
• it was now possible for a military leader supported by his own troops to take over by force
• Julius Caesar Takes Control
• joined forces with Crassus and Pompey-helped him to be elected as consul
• appointed himself governor of Gaul
• Pompey feared Caesar because of his success-so Caesar followed his orders and disbanded his legions and returned home
• Caesar defied the senate's order
• the senate appointed him dictator - he was named dictator for life
• Caesar's Reforms
• Caesar governed as an absolute ruler
• he started a lot of reforms that helped a lot of people
• people started to fear him so they planned his assassination and murdered him
• Beginning of The Empire
• After Caesar's death another civil war broke out
• Octavian, Mark Antony, & Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate
• After a lot of arguments, rivalry, and suicides - the Second Triumvirate disbanded and Octavian became an unchallenged ruler of Rome

A Vast and Powerful Empire

• period of peace and prosperity
• A Sound Government
• Romans held their empire together through efficient government and able rulers
• Augustus was Rome's ablest ruler
• after he died, the system of government he created remained stable
• Rome expanded, became huge, & now includes many different people, languages, and customs
• Agriculture and Trade
• agriculture was the most important industry in the empire
• having common coinage made trade between different parts of the empire easy
• Rome had a vast trading network - even traded with China & India
• complex network of roads linked Rome to far away places

The Roman World

• Rome emphasized the values of discipline, strength, and loyalty
• most people in the Roman Empire lived on the country side & worked on farms
• Slaves and Captivity
• slavery was a significant part of Roman life
• they could be punished, rewarded, set free, or put to death as their master see fit
• they worked in cities and on farms
• more than a million slaves lost their lives attempting to gain their freedom
• Gods and Goddesses 
• the earliest Romans worshipped powerful spirits or divine forces (numina) that they thought lived in everything around them
• they gave names to these powerful gods and goddesses & honored them through various rituals, hoping to gain favor and avoid misfortune
• government and religion were linked 
• worship of the empire also became part of the official religion of Rome
• Society and Culture
• wealth and social status made huge differences in how people lived
• most people in Rome barely had the necessities of life
• much of the city's population was unemployed
• the government supported these people with daily rations of grain
• to distract and control the masses of Rome, the government provide free games, races, mock battles, and gladiator contests
• during Pax Romana, the practice of Christianity emerged