A Brief History Of The Roman Empire, Part 3: Land Reform And The Era Of Gracchi

Rome became an empire long before it had an emperor.

Over the course of the Republic’s history, Rome went from a minor power on the fringe of the civilized world to the master of the entire Mediterranean basin, but that very success made the Roman system unsustainable and paved the way for strongmen like Gaius Julius Caesar to violently seize power.