HIST-UA 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Augustus, Gracchi
Document Summary
Conditions that led to caesar"s rise to power: Social conditions: senate ignoring people"s needs (farmers, soldiers, overcrowded living conditions, assassinations on powerful reformers (gracchi brothers, growing distrust of government. Senates problems became too much and generals started to take power and civil war broke out. Ceasar is sent out of rome for 20 years. When he comes back he becomes a consul. Forms triumvirate- three men (caesar, pompey, crassus) co-ruled together. Crassus died and out of fear pompey attacked caesar starting civil war. Caesar kills pompey and becomes dictator of rome. He was one person-someone in a position of government that people could look up to in a time of instability. Tried to enhance senate so lower clas could have more representatives. Passed reforms that would help plebeians-did this so it was easier to become dictator but still: free food, land. Comes back with his own army and starts a civil war.
