Daily 31

Was Rome better off as an 'empire' than as a republic?

There are many factors to be considered when describing the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic lasted for 482 years. In the beginning the republic had problems with the patricians and the plebeians, but it was eventually solved because the plebeians were allowed a Tribune of Plebes. The republic started to expand, gaining territory in parts of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, and Greece. The Roman Republic was ruled by the Senate in Rome. The biggest problem the Roman Republic faced was the Struggle of Orders with the patricians and the plebeians. The Roman Empire started in 27 BCE with the murder of Julius Caesar and the beginning of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The rulers in this era were crazy and insane. Some did expand the empire, but many caused trouble. There were also many civil wars during this time. The Roman Empire did expand to become one of the largest empires ever. The Roman Empire lasted much longer than the Roman Republic, but the empire went through a very rough time, which started in 235 CE. There was a horrible plague, military crisis, and economic crisis.  Diocletian split the empire into a tetrarchy, which seemed to solve some problems. Then Constantine came to power and he solved most of the Roman Empire’s problems. He also moved the capital to Constantinople from Rome. There were some rulers after him, and then the Western Roman Empire fell. Later the Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire, which fell in 1453. Rome was much better off as the republic because it stayed the capital of the empire, it was powerful, and in control. It did last for a shorter amount of time, but it seemed more accomplished with less problems.