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Certainly, the Republic had problems. Crime was
everywhere. Taxes were outrageous. People were hungry. Many were out
of work. It was easier to use slaves to do work than hire Roman
people, but the dependency on slave labor was causing Rome
unemployment problem.
The people were
angry that their government had not been able to solve the many
problems facing the Republic. Julius Caesar spoke publicly to the
people about these problems, and promised to solve them if he could.
The
people loved him. They wanted to see Julius Caesar in a strong
position of power so that he could solve these problems. As Julius
Caesar became more popular with the people, he became more powerful.
Leaders
in the Senate began to worry. They were afraid that Julius Caesar
wanted to take over the government and rule Rome as a king. The
leaders of ancient Rome had vowed that the Roman people would never be
ruled by a king again. They were right. Julius Caesar did want to take
over the government.
One
of the laws of the original Twelve Tables was that no general could
enter the city with his army. Julius Caesar ignored this law. In
49 BCE, he entered Rome with the Roman Legion, and took over the
government. The poor people of Rome, who made up the bulk of the
population, were glad. The people called him "father of the
homeland“. The Senate was furious.
To
find out what happened next, explore the links below.
Julius
Caesar (BBC)
Julius
Caesar
Julius
Caesar (PBS)
Shakespeare's
Play - Julius Caesar
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