From 140 B.C.E. to Octavian Period Essay

After the Punic Wars and the acquisition of the Hellenistic Kingdoms, Rome went through many changes in their government. Rome went through changes in government, changes in the army, and inequality struggles. Regardless of the changes made in the empire, Rome went through changes that were both good and bad.
One of the changes that Rome went through was a struggle for equality. This struggle for equality was the result of latifundia. The small farmers that were once the backbone of the Roman state lost their lands to the rich and their estates. These farmers that lost land then moved to big cities, such as Rome, and formed a class of landless poor. Two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, tried to fix this by having the Council of Plebeians bypass the Senate and pass land reform bills that called for the government to reclaim land held by large landowners and distribute it to landless Romans.
Another change that Rome went through was a change within the army. The traditional way of recruiting soldiers of the army was to get small landholding farmers to join. Marius changed this by recruiting the poor who had no land. These recruits swore their loyalty to the general and not to the state. They were also promised land by their generals, which forced generals to take part in politics. Sulla became the next person to take advantage of Marius’ new military system. Sulla took advantage of his position as general by conducting a reign of terror to wipe out anyone who tried to oppose him. His actions caused people to think that they could use an army to seize power.
The last change the Roman Empire went through was a change in government. The Roman Empire held the people who made up the First Triumvirate, made up by Crassus, Pompey, and Julius Caesar. Crassus was known as the richest man in Rome, Pompey had

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