Why did many roman people feel the need for a strong leader in 59bce?

Answer 1

59 B.C. cannot be seen as a year when the Romans wanted a strong leader. If anything, many Romans were not pleased to see Roman politics being dominated by the First Triumvirate, a three-man alliance between Caesar, Crassus ad Pompey. This was an informal alliance which had been created the year before and had been kept secret. It became publicly known when Crassus and Pompey openly supported Caesar's land reform bill which aimed at redistributing land to farm to the poor. Caesar had been elected as consul for the year 59 B.C., together with Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus. These two men belonged to two opposed political factions. Caesar was a popularis, a progressive political faction which championed the cause of the poor and wanted reforms which helped the poor. Bibulus was an optimate, a conservative faction which favoured the aristocracy and opposed the reforms the populares wanted. Bibulus unsuccessfully tried to veto Caesar's bill. That he then was attacked by a crowd of supporters of Caesar and that the latter gained the political upper hand in that year was more the result of factional strife than a desire for a strong leader.

A desire for a strong leader emerged later, when Julius Caesar started a civil war against the forces of the senate. Caesar was very popular among the lower and middle social strata in Rome because he was a popularis and it was expected that he would help the poor and because he was seen as a man who was standing up to an aristocracy which was seen as corrupt.

The Roman Republic had become dysfunctional under the weight of imperial expansion. The central government had 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. In addition, Rome was at times torn by the conflict between populares and optimates.

Answer 2

59 B.C. cannot be seen as a year when the Romans wanted a strong leader. If anything, many Romans were not pleased to see Roman politics being dominated by the First Triumvirate, a three-man alliance between Caesar, Crassus ad Pompey. This was an informal alliance which had been created the year before and had been kept secret. It became publicly known when Crassus and Pompey openly supported Caesar's land reform bill which aimed at redistributing land to farm to the poor. Caesar had been elected as consul for the year 59 B.C., together with Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus. These two men belonged to two opposed political factions. Caesar was a popularis, a progressive political faction which championed the cause of the poor and wanted reforms which helped the poor. Bibulus was an optimate, a conservative faction which favoured the aristocracy and opposed the reforms the populares wanted. Bibulus unsuccessfully tried to veto Caesar's bill. That he then was attacked by a crowd of supporters of Caesar and that the latter gained the political upper hand in that year was more the result of factional strife than a desire for a strong leader.

A desire for a strong leader emerged later, when Julius Caesar started a civil war against the forces of the senate. Caesar was very popular among the lower and middle social strata in Rome because he was a popularis and it was expected that he would help the poor and because he was seen as a man who was standing up to an aristocracy which was seen as corrupt.

The Roman Republic had become dysfunctional under the weight of imperial expansion. The central government had 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. In addition, Rome was at times torn by the conflict between populares and optimates.