What signaled the collapse of the roman repulic?

Answer 1

During the last 64 years of the Roman Republic there were 12 civil wars. They all had a disastrous effects on the Republic and were part of the process which undermined it and eventually led to it downfall. The last 6 civil wars, from Caesar's Civil War on, were the wars which led to the disintegration of the Republic. The Final Civil War of the Roman Republic was the end of the Republic. It was a fight between Octavian and Mark Antony over who would become the sole ruler. Octavian won and became the first Roman Emperor. Historians call him Augustus, the tile he had himself given, for the period when he was the emperor.

Answer 2

The Roman Republic fell under the weight of imperial expansion. The central government had become dysfunctional, and lost control over the provinces (conquered territories). The governors of the provinces became unruly and treated their provinces as if they were their personal fiefs. Tax collection in the provinces was carried out by private collectors who 'farmed' the taxes to line their pockets through extortion. Corruption was rampant. A reform of military recruitment made the soldiers loyal to the commanders of their legions who could use them to obtain what they wanted through the threat of or the use of military violence. In 71 BC Crassus and Pompey camped their troops outside Rome to have themselves elected as consuls (the two annually elected heads of the Republic). Pompey was not even eligible on the grounds of being below the required age and of not having served some public offices which were required before the consulship. In the last 64 years of the Republic there were 12 civil wars. In 88 BC Sulla entered the city of Rome with his troops during his first civil war against forces of Marius, even though Roman religion forbade the bearing of arms within the city walls.

Another problem in the Late Republic was the increase in the number of dispossessed peasants who lost their land to the expanding large landed estates which used slaves, who were war captives. These people flocked to Rome to try to eke out a living, swelling the masses of the poor in the city. The problem of poverty became a political hot potato which led to the conflict between the populares and the optimates. The former was a political faction which championed the cause of the poor and tried to introduce reforms to help them. The latter was a conservative political faction which favoured the aristocracy and opposed reforms. The senators were seen as being concerned with the interests of the aristocracy, rather than those of the poor and were unpopular among the middle and lower classes. They were also seen as being corrupt. Many of the civil wars were related to clashes between strong military leaders and the conflict between populares and optimates spilling into violence.