1.51 to 1.56

Most of the conquered lands were administered by governors (proconsuls). They ruled like despots and tried to amass in their one year of office wealth for a lifetime. The enormous taxes wrung from the subject peoples defrayed most of the expenses of the Roman state. They also enriched the greedy collectors (publicans), who purchased the privilege of collecting the taxes. Wealth poured into Rome from all over the world, and the ancient simplicity of Roman life gave way to luxury and pomp. Morals were undermined, and vice and corruption flourished. The suddenly enriched officeholders acquired estates and bought up the little farms of the peasants. The peasants were poor and could not compete with the hordes of slaves who worked the great plantations. The streets of the capital were flooded with poverty-stricken people—ruined farmers, discharged soldiers, and idlers from all Italy. These people lived on state and private charity as well as on bribes that were given by office seekers. Between the aristocracy of birth and wealth and the vast moneyless mob there was bitter hostility. War of class against class was bound to come. A few patriotic statesmen tried in vain to avert the dreadful climax. The Gracchi brothers, grandsons of the great Scipio Africanus who defeated Hannibal at Zama, came forward as champions of the people. They proposed laws to redistribute the public lands and to limit the powers of the corrupt and selfish Senate. Both men fell victims to their foes, Tiberius in 133 BC and Gaius 12 years later. The Roman Revolution (133-31 B. C.) The death of Tiberius marked the beginning of a century of revolution and civil war that ended in the establishment of the Roman Empire. First of the popular military chiefs was Marius. He had become a national hero by capturing Jugurtha, leader of an insurrection in Africa, and almost destroying (102-101 BC) a horde of German barbarians (the Cimbri and Teutones) who had defeated four Roman armies. In the year 90 BC the Italian allies, who had long demanded full Roman citizenship, rose in revolt (the Social War). The struggle lasted two years and ended in the bestowal of citizenship.