Civil War on Pompey Essay -- History War Caesar Essays

well-mannered War on PompeyIn 49 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army, declaring civil war on Pompey and his supporters in the Senate. In this paper, I will explore the policy-making and legal issues that pushed Caesar to the brink. looking for at Romes political struggles at the dawn of the foremost century B.C., it becomes apparent that the groundwork for Caesars republic shattering repel was lain down by Marius and Sulla. To be more specific, the stage was set by the class struggles between the Aristocracy, who demanded control of the Republic by virtue of tradition, and the masses, which demanded a voice.Marius made a major step in pushing the Republic towards constitutional upheaval when, in 107 B.C., he abolished the property requirements for military dish out (Meier, 29). Not only did these impoverished soldiers depend on their commander quite an than the State for their fiscal support, but they were also promised filth in freshly conquered p rovinces upon the completion of the service. While enlarging the pool from which the Roman Army drew its declare oneself soldiers, this change in policy brought about a dangerous toss in political power. It was for this reason that the Senate opposed nearly every land law placed before it. If a gifted commander was qualified to enrich his soldiers through plunder, and give them land to settle after the campaign, the soldiers talent feel a greater obligation to their commander than to the Senate (Meier, 29). This circumstance is an prerequisite ingredient for civil war, more so, possible, than any other.In 88 B.C., superpower Mithridates of Pontus invaded the Roman Province of Asia. Cornelius Sulla, one of the consuls, was chosen to lead the Roman legions against him by the Senate.... ...ials and tribulations during the 51 years before Caesars revolt. Romes political systems were in such a degraded state that had Caesar been unsuccessful person else would have shortly f ollowed. It was the actions of Marius and Sulla, not the ambitious dreams of a young man, which were eventually responsible.Works CitedDickinson, John. Death of a Republic. New York, Macmillan, 1963.Meier, Christian. Caesar. New York BasicBooks/HarperCollins, 1995.Sabben-Clare, J. P. Caesar and Roman government 60-50 B.C. source material in translation. Bristol Bristol Classics, 1981.Plutarch. Fall of the Roman Republic. Trans. Rex Warner. New York Penguin USA, 1972.Caesar, C. Julius. Civil Wars. Trans. A. G. Peskett. Cambridge Harvard University Press.Caesar, C. Julius. The Gallic Wars. Trans. H. J. Edwards, C.B. Cambridge Harvard University Press.