Status Updates From Mortal Republic: How Rome F...

Such an interesting political system!

I restarted this book. I believe it will be helpful in understanding swings to the hard right and left.

Muy interesante refleja kla historia de Roma desde el final de las guerras púnicas, hasta el comienzo del imperio de Augusto, y como los personalismos y ambiciones personales, dieron al traste con la Republica.

Por ahora lectura sobrecogedora por ver detalladamente, paso a paso y con la distancia del tiempo, los efectos de permitir que los políticos perviertan el sistema a su favor y rompan los consensos aunque sea en nombre de una "buena causa".

SFPL-OD Renewed

I avoid doing mid-reading updates. But given what happened yesterday, it seemed timely.

This book narrates the story of how the Roman Republic fell into tyranny. Pick it up if you think a Republic lasts forever.

I'm not really enjoying this, and yet I continue reading. A mess

The Republic then Octavian became the first Emperor, Augustus.

Excellent!

chapter 7 was called "rebuilding amid the wreckage," but it seemed more to be the story of what happened after Sulla restructured Rome, particularly as regards two rivals, Crassus and Pompey. I kept expecting the subject matter to relate to the chapter title, so I am not sure I got all that I could have from the unexpected subject matter as it came up. I am wondering how we know so many intimate details of the time.

Chapter 6 - how Sulla took over Rome with the Roman army, assumed dictatorship, destroyed all his enemies, restructured the Republic to suit him, then slipped out to lead a quiet life and let the Republic see if it can survive as he's left it. According to this author, violence as political tactic has weakened the Republic's ability to stand. Bit confusing to the uninitiated, starting to forget what I learn.

On Marius, of lower status, who aimed for higher status than his social rank afforded him, he wielded populist sentiments to achieve status, but ultimately it led to him having to choose between the state & his populist allies in conflict. Having to burn all his bridges, he was ousted, & yet violence in elections, uncompromising spirits, & distrust of the establishment remained as we move into the first century BC.

Second half of the chapter much more engaging for me about how the wealth of the regular people was divvied up along their numerous children so they were all poorer than their parents, and many went to the city to see their fortune, and meanwhile incoming wealth, while benefitting working class in some degree, created a small class of superwealthy who were just richer than anyone previously could have imagined.

The last ten pages have been a murderous litany of the wars and battles of Rome from around 200-150BC and I endured it with glazed eyes just sure that eventually there would be a summarizing statement, and I finally got to it: The nearly endless warfare of the period had profound demographic and economic consequences that combined to shatter the politics of cooperation and consensus that had long governed Roman life.

guess what I'm not enjoying this book SO I'M NOT GOING TO READ IT ANYMORE

LIFE IS TOOO SHORT TO READ BOOKS YOU DON'T LIKE

GO READ SOMETHING YOU'LL LIKE MORE QUIT WASTING TIME

I have enjoyed this book enormously!

Octavian had become something entirely new. He had become Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. ☀️

This chapter is so good. Totally recommend it.