How did Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla Gain power?

Answer 1

Rome was in the throes of contest between generals. A successful general had an obligation to resettle his soldiers, and the soldiers and ex-soldiers became his clients and supporters. Two such generals were Marius and Sulla, with a civil war between the two resulting in Marius' defeat. Sulla resorted to the customary solution of unsettled times by assuming the power of Dictator, which was a six month position to reestablish normality, then restore normal power of consuls, senate and popular assemblies. But with the seriousness of the instability, he kept extending his Dictatorship until he was convinced a return to normal government would work. It turned out to be a false hope, as other generals sought to grasp influence and power, and the civil wars continued until the Octavius Augustus settlement.