Preserving Democracy

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Elgin L Hushbeck. Preserving Democracy

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Preserving Democracy

What The Founding Fathers Knew,

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The giveaways continued. Food prices were reduced even further. More land was given away in an effort to please the people. In 105 B.C. the state began to sponsor gladiatorial games, adding entertainment to the growing list of dependencies. Seeing all these benefits going to Rome, Italy revolted. When it became clear that Rome could not win, it ended the war by granting full Roman citizenship to the rest of Italy, though some procedural maneuvering undercut this citizenship such that little actually changed and the paralysis continued.

But political paralysis in the face of large problems breeds instability, and instability in turn breeds the desire to get something done. Political battles became more pronounced. The courts increasingly became little more than a tool to be use against political opponents. Increasingly political battles ended in bloodshed, both with individuals and, given the political importance of generals, in some cases with armies from the opposing factions. In 82 B.C. an army supporting the Senate and led by Sulla, who had been a general under Marius, defeated an army, supported by the Assembly and led by Marius’ son.

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