Why did the Roman Republic Fall?

The fall of the Roman Republic can be placed on a precise date in September, 47 BC. When the Roman Senate appointed Caesar Dictator General for ten years. Just 3 years later, in 44 BC, Caesar was appointed Dictator Perpetus (for life) on February 14, 44 BC.

Prior to Caesar becoming Dictator, the Senate ruled Rome and all decisions were made by a vote of the Senators.

Their are two reason for fall of the Republic. The first reason was politics, Caesar was incredibly popular with the people and threatened civil war if he was not appointed Dictator. He was the first politician who recognized the "power of the mob" and used it to influence the government officials.

The second reason was economics. Rome was a consumer nation. The Economy and Welfare of Rome depended upon importing foods and wealth from captured countries. Rome did not produce and export goods so there was a need to continually expand the Empire and add new lands and territory.

Julius Caesar was the last Roman General to expand the Roman Empire significantly. After Julius Caesar, the early dictators tried to maintain the captured territories but without the captured wealth from new conquest, it became too expensive to keep occupational armies in foreign lands. The later dictators did not have the wealth or power to maintain armies in the captured countries, so they became independent and stopped sending wealth, food and commodities to Rome. The later Dictators were more interested in living a life of luxury and decadence instead of caring for the nation. A few of them were insane, but still ruled through fear.

I agree with Ranger for the most part but want to point out Caesar wasn't the first Roman to use the power of the mob. Even in the early republic there were ambitious Romans that used the power of the mob. That kind of died down though until TIberius Graccus revived the power of the mob mentality in the 130's.

Rome is without doubt one the most beautiful towns in the world; each year millions of tourists come from around the globe to enjoy the items and masterpieces of Roman artwork and structure and to be one of them you will have to begin with Hotelbye . One of the very most popular of Rome's many sections is Piazza Navona. This place preserves the form of the Stadium of Domitian that when stood here. Piazza Navona was builted by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD and has three wonderful fountains.

For decades,the Senate had been corrupt,using its political power to enrich itself at the expense of the ordinary people.

As territory controlled by Rome grew,the Senate regarded the provinces as cash cows to be plundered for their wealth (which went to the Senators who governed them),not as an empire to be administered for the benefit of the Republic as a whole.Along with territorial expansion came a vast influx of slaves,so all the menial jobs were taken by them,leaving the majority of plebeians unemployed.

The military system had changed too.The citizen soldiers who had previously served for a single campaign or war now found themselves serving overseas for years (for example,it took Julius Caesar almost a decade to conquer Gaul).When they returned home,they found that their land had been appropriated by Senators or sold off to them under duress by family members,and as their farms had been amalgamated into large estates called latifundia worked by slaves for profit,they often found themselves landless,unemployed,and thus destitute.

The rank and file soldiers thus began to look to their commanding generals to secure their future - opportunities for plunder when on campaign,bonuses for victories or bravery in battle,the promise of land when they were discharged.These soldiers thus shifted their loyalties from the Republic to their generals,and the generals realized that they could then use their troops as a political power base to further their own political ambitions.

So,the Republic fell because of a corrupt and greedy ruling elite,the Senators,who were more concerned with enriching themselves than with the benefit of the Republic as whole for all Roman citizens.

I would say the Republic fell when Caesar crossed the Rubicon.10 January 49 BC.This was bound to ignite a civil war (as Caesar well knew),and it was a war Caesar had no intention of losing.Even after his assassination,other powerful political figures stepped into the void to take his place,using their troops as a political power base to seize political power.