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Brookelyn Todd
October 17, 2017
Western Civilization 101
Ancient Rome was one of the largest empires during the ancient world. The era of the
Empire was established by Augustus after the death of Julius Caesar, and kept Rome politically
stable for centuries. This empire began as a Republic where they elected representatives. The
Roman Empire emerged from the Roman Republic when Julius Caesar and Augustus
transformed it from a republic into a monarchy. Many remarkable events are commonly
proposed to mark the transition from Republic to Empire, including Julius Caesar’s appointment
as perpetual dictator. The Roman Empire was the most extensive political and social structure in
western civilization.
The Roman Empire began when Augustus won the second great civil war and ended, when
the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was overthrown by the Germanic King Odoacer.
The empire continued in the East as the Byzantine Empire (Mark). The structure of the Empire was
such that one individual had complete control over all matters of the state, The Emperor, of course
there were various branches of the government that still served under the emperor and functioned
on their own, dealing with the integral economic and social aspects of the Roman state. The
concept of consul’s remained, yet their power was diminished and they could only serve as
advisors to the Emperor and acted as a bridge between him and the Senate. The senate functioned
in a similar manner as they did during the time of the public. The only difference being that it was
now far more open. It expected people of all nationalities and classes. By the end of the first
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century even the Roman Emperor, need not have been of roman blood. One aspect that greatly
differed in terms of the empire and republic was the Empire’s ability to promote the class of an
individual. Anyone could gain move up in the class system. This greatly aided society as it made
revolts less common and all people under the empire’s rule were appeased, at least to a certain
extent “The Roman Empire”. This was perhaps their greatest improvement and one of the
Empire’s strongest points.
The beginnings of the Roman Empire known as Pax Romana, also known as the Pax
Augusta, which was initiated by the first Emperor, Augustus, it was possible the largest time period
during which Rome was not at war or in conflict, this could be considered the peak of the Roman
Empire. The people were appeased, the economy was benefiting from the break from war and
Rome was able to organize its internal affairs. The Roman Empire’s primary weakness lay in who
