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Gaius
Julius Caesar’s reputation depends on whether he was justified in usurping
autocratic power. Commenting on his motives, his achievements, and his
reforms,............ answer the following question: Was Caesar
justified in taking power from the Senatorial government?
Possible Essay Outline
Introduction:
Topic
sentence: State the case you will be arguing; be specific.
You may then add a sentence or two briefly explaining why. Explain in one
or two sentences what you will discuss and what evidence you will present to
prove your argument. (1 par/approx. 50 words).
Second
Par:
First
piece of evidence. Topic sentence stating what the evidence is and what
it proves. Expand on this idea in the rest of the paragraph.
Explain
and discuss (1 par/ approx. 300 words)
Fourth
Par:
Second
piece of evidence. Topic sentence stating what the evidence is and what
it proves. Expand on this idea in the rest of the paragraph.
Explain
and discuss (1 par/ approx. 300 words)
Fifth
Par:
Third
piece of evidence. Topic sentence stating what the evidence is and what
it proves. Expand on this idea in the rest of the paragraph.
Explain
and discuss (1 par/ approx. 300 words).
Sixth
Par:
Fourth
piece of evidence. Topic sentence stating what the evidence is and what
it proves. Expand on this idea in the rest of the paragraph.
Explain
and discuss (1 par/ approx. 300 words).
Conclusion:
Draw
all your evidence together and show what it all means. In one or two
sentences state what your argument is. (Hint: This should be the same as your
topic sentence in your intro. If not, it means you have changed you
mind!). (1 par/ approx 50 words).
Roman
Empire; Gaius Julius Caesar
Name
Institution/Affiliation
Date
At
the peak of his political career, Gaius Julius Caesar justifiably usurped the
autocratic power held by the Senate. To that date in the Roman History, the
reforms implemented by Caesar were the most significant (Lazar, 2013, p.429). The
removal of the autocratic regime paved the way for the realization of economic,
political and social gains in the whole of the Roman republic.
Caesar
was justified in taking power from the senatorial government. According to
Galasso (2012, p.177) during the rule of the autocratic regime led by the
Senate, there was an increase in domestic violence, corruption, and bribery. The
senatorial government had failed in its mandate in the sense that the Roman
Republic had gradually become chaotic and dysfunctional. Under the weight of
the Senators, the Republican machinery had crumbled due to the increasing
influence of imperialism. As a result, Caesar was motivated to seize power from
the autocratic regime so that to give more authority to the central government
that was already powerless (Lazar, 2013, p.430). Among the many failures of the
Senate was the transformation of the different Roman provinces into self-governing
territories that were under the total power of the respective governors. Caesar
took power off the Senate because he had the intention of formulating a
powerful central government that could have a significant mandate over the
army. At that point, the military had already amassed so much power that it had
replaced the rule of law considering it was often used as a means for attaining
selfish political gains. The presence of the senatorial-led autocratic regimes
had further weakened the central government a situation that had aggravated the
rate of political corruption. The inefficiency in the Senate led to the
establishment of a corrupt aristocracy that was focused towards maintaining the
status quo characterized by zero motivation of changing the faulty system of
governance. Majority of the senators managed to acquire more wealth due to the
presence of the corrupt aristocracy. Through the establishment and
implementation of the new constitution, Caesar intended to achieve distinct
goals and objectives. For example, he wanted to bring order to the Roman
Republic by suppressing all armed resistance as well as creating a stable
central government.
Caesar found justification for taking power from the senatorial government based on the actions of the Senate itself (Canfora, Hill, & Windle, 2007, p.27). The senators, most especially the optimates had proved to be hostile towards the popularis ideas championed by Caesar. They were also threatened by his growing popularity that had earned him unprecedented political success. The optimates through their leaders Cato during the Dyrrachium in 48BC issued a speech to the military with the aim of destroying Caesar. Cato in his capacity wanted to anger the troops by arguing that by going to war against Caesar they would be fighting for a better course which was the attainment of the virtue of freedom. The feeling of being challenged by the senators resulted in a situation where Caesar felt it was justified to take away their power. According to Canfora, Hill, and Windle (2007, p.27), after Cato had issued his speech, Caesar was incensed by their perceived jealousy against his political achievements as he felt they were doing a disservice against him. Before this incident through different avenues, he had made various attempts to reach out to the senators so that to find a middle ground but all his efforts had proven to be futile. This circumstance reveals...
