Empire or Republic?

1. Was Rome better off as an 'empire' than as a republic?

Rome was better off as a republic because the people play a bigger role in decision-making.  Rome as an empire caused Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, to be assassinated by a group of conspirators who did not like his rule.  "As he took his seat, the conspirators gathered about him as if to pay their respects, and straightway Tillius Cimber, who had assumed the lead, came nearer as though to ask something; and when Caesar with a gesture put him off to another time, Cimber caught his toga by both shoulders; then as Caesar cried, "Why, this is violence!" one of the Cascas stabbed him from one side just below the throat" (Tranquillus).  The Roman republic was more effective because along with the government, the people had an opinion that contributed toward the final law.  This was a better means of handling the government; nobody was killed.


"Julius-Caesar (British Museum)." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 8 Mar 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C._Julius-Caesar_(British_Museum).gif>.


Tranquillus , C. Suetonius. "The Life of Julius Caesar." The Lives of the Twelve Caesars . Loeb Classical Library, 1913. Web. 8 Mar 2010. <http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Julius*.html>.