Economic problems, government corruption, crime and private armies, and the rise of Julius Caesar as emperor all led to its eventual fall in 27 BCE. Rome's continued expansion resulted in money and revenue for the Republic.The government was complex with many leaders and councils at different levels. However, many problems began to emerge with the growth of the republic. Economic problems, government corruption, crime and private armies, and the rise of Julius Caesar as emperor all led to its eventual fall in 27 BCE.
Rome’s continued expansion resulted in money and revenue for the Republic. Corruption and bribery increased in the government for officials to gain power and access to this money.
Rich people bought votes and gave favors to friends. Bribery and corruption were rampant and led to the commoners distrusting the Senate. Many people were brought back as slaves from Rome’s conquests. The capture of slaves created an influx of cheap labor and hurt the lower classes and disrupted the agricultural system. Many local farmers could not compete with the wealthy farms that used slave labor and eventually lost their land. When Rome’s conquests declined, so did their sources of income. This decrease in money resulted in a loss of support for the people of Rome and created an enormous stress on the economy. Officials began to tax their citizens furthering discontent.
With no police force, crime was out of control in Rome and people feared for their safety. The wealthy hired their own private armies for protection. Many of these political armies killed people and stole their land. These grew large in some cases and they owed allegiance to a private citizen as opposed to the Roman government.
Historians believe the fall of the Roman Republic started in 59 BCE when Julius Caesar, Pompeii the Great, and Marcus Licinius Crassus formed an alliance to rule Rome. Crassus died in battle, leaving Caesar and Pompeii to turn against each other for the control of Rome. After his victory in the wars with Pompeii, Caesar declared himself emperor of Rome. Once Rome had a dictator, it was difficult to go back to a republic. Caesar only ruled for a short time before he was assassinated and Rome fell into political disarray never to return to the republic that once helped build the great power.
