Ruins of the Temple of Augustus in Croatia
In the time after the Punic Wars, the Roman Republic began to experience unrest and civil war. Clashes among the classes and economic trouble threatened Rome's stability. In this topic, you will explore how the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire. In addition, you will examine the Roman Empire's line of succession leading from Julius Caesar to "The Five Good Emperors."
Essential Questions
- How and why did Rome transition from a republic to an empire?
Warm-Up
Ruins of the Roman Forum, a plaza surrounded by various government buildings
In this course, you have examined political traditions in the governments of several civilizations. What caused some governments to weaken and collapse and others to rise and be strong? What commonalities or trends exist among these groups of people?
Before you explore why the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire, brainstorm answers to the above questions and make a list of why political changes occurred in the civilizations that you have studied so far. Keep this list handy as you complete the content for this topic, and compare it to what happened in ancient Rome.