The Aims of Sulla in Changing the Structure of the Government
Topic: What were the aims of Sulla in changing the structure of the government of Rome during his dictatorship? Did any of Sulla’s reforms persist after his retirement
Instructions
You are required to write an essay in which you consider, in detail, one important topic from the first half of the course. You are to use the best available scholarly literature and primary sources on the subject you choose. In researching the paper, you are expected to go beyond the textbooks and other assigned readings from the course. You are to make use of the supplementary materials (books and articles) in any other college or university library to which you have access. See the Supplementary Materials section at the end of each unit, as well as looking at Potter’s Introduction, for suitable works to begin your research on the essay topics listed below. Your essay must include notes and a bibliography following The Chicago Manual of Style.
Content: Begin with an introductory paragraph containing a clear and strong thesis statement. This is your precise answer to the research question. Follow your introductory paragraph with a brief background section that provides the necessary context for understanding your question, thesis, and argument (the who, what, where, when, etc. information). Then the body of your essay follows, consisting of clear, orderly paragraphs, developing the various parts of the argument that support your thesis. A conclusion sums up the parts of your argument and findings. Your essay must have proper citations and a bibliography that conforms to academic standards as explained in the Skills Modules.
Format: The 6 page assignment length must be exclusive of title page, notes, and bibliography. Long quotations of more than four lines should be set off as a block quote, indented from the left, and single-spaced without quotation marks. The bibliography and footnotes/endnotes should be single-spaced. Each page should be numbered, beginning with page 2. Provide a separate title page with the title of your paper, your name and student number, the course name and number, your tutor’s name, and the submission date.
Citation of Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism: Your essay should be original and conform to the standards for research materials, documentation, organization, and use of evidence. Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct that is prohibited. Plagiarism occurs when a student uses the words or ideas of another person without giving proper credit.
THE AIMS OF SULLA IN CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF THE GOVERNMENT
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The Aims of Sulla in Changing the Structure of the Government
Former Roman statesman Sulla's civil war verdict resulted in the Republic's destruction. The Roman Republic's first full-scale civil war was won by Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (138 BCE–79 BCE), who later became dictator (82–79 BCE). Xie (2022, 1073) claims that "in 88 BC, Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix was the first Roman general who led his army against Rome and declared Sullan Civil War." During the last hundred years of the Roman Republic, he made significant changes to the constitution that made the Roman Republic stronger. Sulla's goal as an optimist was to bring back the old Roman form of governance. His overall objective was to solidify authority in the Senate.
Even though his harsh and dictatorial actions went against what he wanted to do, Sulla pushed for republican reforms by setting up his government and fighting Marius, his political rival and a reformer. Sulla was a traditionalist who strongly favored upholding Roman custom over promoting social improvements. According to Sun (2021, 1169), although Gaius Marius was a reformer and the Populares leader, his opponent, Sulla, took back Rome city's control and sentenced the reformer and other populares to death. Sulla tried many times to take power away from Marius when the latter's actions started to hurt the republic. Cui (2021, 992) states, "in the late Roman Republic, a series of fundamental military reforms pioneered by Caius Marius ultimately led to the republic's demise." Sulla was a reactionary conservative, so after Marius held five illegal consulships in a row from 104 to 100, he made several political changes to ensure that equestrians such as Marius could not get more power.
Under Marius, non-patriots were no longer allowed to serve on juries because of a law passed by Sulla. His actions made it plain that he preferred conservatism and opposed those who wanted to take the Senate's hold on power away. Sulla made it clear that he wanted to strengthen the Senate by ensuring that people who were not senators could not make changes.
Sulla's reforms also adequately illustrated his intention to keep the Roman government in place. Sulla began changing immediately after his second march on Rome in 82 BCE to strengthen the Senate's authority. Sun (2021, 1170) asserts that senators were given an additional 300 seats, greatly enhancing their power. Additionally, Davidson (2021, 2) posits that the increase in the number of senators "would be further coupled with Lucius Cornelius Sulla and his constitutional reinstitution of elitist control through the Senate." The Senate got even more power when the Concilium Plebis lost its authority and the right to veto. Sulla also made it illegal for tribunes to hold other jobs, making the people's assembly a shadow government. After that, people of high birth started to avoid running for office. By ensuring that the people's assembly could only make changes with senatorial approval, Sulla gave the Senate the power it had before Gracchan. Moreover, Sulla made it clear that his main goal was strengthening the Senate through his work to bring stability back to the crumbling Roman state.
Even though Sulla did everything he could to protect the constitution, his actions had terrible long-term effects on the Roman government and were a crucial part of its downfall. Sulla wanted to give control back to the Senate, but his illegal actions, such as calling himself a dictator, went against his original goal of ensuring no one got too much power. Romans called Sulla "an unelected king" to show that his rule was illegal and that people did not like him as a leader. Sulla's two marches on Rome were very un-Roman, and he was a warlord with his private army who challenged the republic's principles. This behavior means that he did more harm to the Senate than good.
Sulla also did things that were clearly against the Republicans, like putting his face on coins and hiring the Cornelii as bodyguards. Sulla's bans on the children of the proscribed from running for political office were also dangerous to the republic because people used the prohibitions to eliminate reformers and many of Sulla's rivals and wealthy landowners. Even though he did many bad things, Sulla finally showed that he wanted to give power back to the Senate and not take it for himself by giving up his leadership position in 79 BCE. Contrarily, Sulla was a genuine republican in heart, demonstrating that he did not intend his rule to be illegal.
Sulla was a staunch Republican who worked to strengthen the Senate. Even though his actions as dictator painted a very different picture, his choice to leave tyranny would show that his ultimate goal was to give more power to the Senate. Also, he made it a law that people had to hold offices in the usual manner and that no individual could hold the same office consecutively. Sulla made it so that people had to wait ten years before running for office again and set the minimum age for some positions. Along with other changes he made to elections, he made the plebeian tribunes useless by taking away their ability to veto public business and make laws. According to Yakobson (2020, 191), Sulla's system excluded its victims, comprising the kids "of the proscribed who were deprived of political rights, as well as of the plebs as a whole, subjected to senatorial domination." Anyone elected to the tribunal could no longer run for other...