Augustus paid lip service to many of the Republican institutions in the Roman government, with the main institution being the Senate in my opinion. This could be in fact due to the ability of the Senators power to overthrow him if they were in a disagreement of some sort. The generosities Augustus lists in the Res Gestae points to the many times he gifts the populace and the soldiers of Rome. One could deduce how Augustus more or less flaunts his power and money to try and gain the favor of the people, without actually caring what they may think. Gifting the soldiers keeps them in high morale and respect for his authority, so as to be willing to go to battle under any condition Augustus sees fit.
On the other hand, Maecenas took the role of making Augustus the sole figure as a leader to Rome with his inhibited propaganda as patron for some of the prominent writers of the time based on creating a perception of Augustus as a way ‘for the people’, rather than self ambition. The importance of Agrippa rose indistinguishably as being responsible for most of Octavian’s military triumphs. His role emerged during the ‘Sicilian conflict’ against Sextus Lepidus in 36 BC where after Octavian’s naval failure Agrippa engaged and destroyed the rebels fleet where Suetonius notes he “forced the enemy ships to sheer off “. Octavian’s opposition however, was marked most strongly by Mark Antony where coincidently it was again Agrippa whose military experience and instinct towered above Augustus, whom blockaded the ships of Antony and Cleopatra with a fleet under Octavian’s title. After the inauguration of Augustus of the first settlement, Agrippa’s militaristic conquests became
Henry had done this so he could abolish the Council Learned in Law, meaning that he could cancel 175 bonds his father had put in place with his Nobles. This made Henry extremely popular; a big difference from his father, and also meant that he could have rich Nobles, leading to a powerful army and glorious court. This first aim set the trend that showed how Henry would have a very different reign from his father. In June 1509 Henry married
Caesar wanted to give debtors a second chance, with a clean slate, rather than the years of slavery faced by most debtors and their families. Unfortunately, he faced opposition from moneylenders who, unlike the senators he simply could replace, had the power to refuse him capital if he ruled against them. In a deft balancing act, Caesar gave moneylenders the power to confiscate the land of nobles in lieu of debt payments while at the same time ending the practice of selling plebeian delinquent debtors into slavery. Satisfied with their new collection powers, moneylenders were convinced of the prudence of allowing more concessions to debtors. These measures included: wiping the slate clean following a bankruptcy; allowing a man to keep the tools of his trade and related land; and limiting the personal liability of a debtor's immediate and extended family.
On the other hand, George W was very scrupulous as a politician. He was elected to two terms and kept his primary campaign promises: he’s cut taxes, brought his version of accountability to elementary education, massively increased funding to the military, and shrunken rights. His core voters strongly aggrandize him, and Republicans control
Yes, he protected his people, only to expect payment from them in the form of taxes, gifts and tributes. The pacification of the people caused them to work harder in order to expand the Persian empire, and for Darius to eventually convince himself that he was the supreme ruler of the world. The labor of the subjects of the empire was exploited on a large scale through taxation, forced labor, and mandatory military service. The king exercised absolute authority, and rebellions were discouraged through a system of spies known as the “eyes and ears of the king.” Rather than envying the Persians for enjoying hundreds of years of peace, the Greeks pitied the subjects of the Persian
Acquiring this absolute power however, was no easy feat, and Caesar had well equipped himself through previous expeditions of Europe and the ancient world with all the resources necessary to gain power in Ancient Rome. One such "expedition" was Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul. On this expedition, Caesar went to great lengths to write a thorough book about his conquest, and to justify his expenditures to the Roman public and Senate. Through Gaul, Caesar found a way to acquire power and prestige for himself within the Roman political arena. It is debated however as to why Caesar wrote about Gaul, whether it be to bask in his glory of his nine-year campaign or to use as propaganda for the political upheaval he would soon mount against Rome.
(Unknown: 2) Augustus strongly supported worship of Roman gods, especially Apollo and Mars the avenger, and depicted Roman defeat of Egypt as Roman gods defeating Egypt's Gods. These religious reforms ensured him influential but loyal supporters for when he overthrew the republic system and became dictator. It also gained his the favour of the plebeian class as he many times held festivals for the people. (Sedivy 2: 4) His military reforms ensured that soldiers not only received a fixed income and entitlements once they left military service, but a reduction in the size of the army along with the establishment of an 'auxiliaries' guard to patrol Rome. He provided soldiers with stake in the outcome of the battle to encourage loyalty to Rome and himself, though he publicly portrayed his humility and tried to publicise the new loyalty to Rome.
The Deep Impact of Octavian For forty years Octavian, post 27 B.C. known as Augustus Caesar, held power in Rome and he was able to establish a firm foundation for emperors to come by changing laws and enabling others to act. He believed that the Roman laws had proven to be weak under the Roman Republic and they needed a strong leader. The senate approved and appointed him consul, tribune and commander in chief for life. Augustus is remarkable because unlike the other politicians that came before him once he gained power he was able to keep it.
Nero actively sought to create an Augustan rebirth after his incompetent predecessors, and with the aid of two brilliant men: the Praetorian prefect Burrus and the his mentor Seneca, he made many reforms that improved the lives of the common people exponentially. The tightly censored and regulated senate enjoyed greater freedom, he made many reforms that succeeded in stamping out corruption, he improved the infrastructure used by the common people, he passed intelligent reforms that helped create material prosperity, he even wanted to ban public executions, as he felt it was a barbaric practice. Perhaps this is not really a positive judgement of Nero, but rather a positive judgement of his advisors Burrus and Seneca, who played a huge role in forming Nero’s opinions and preventing people like Agrippina from exercising political power. Regardless, for a long time, Nero’s reign (or his clique’s reign) was brilliant and very close to a golden age, where there was stability, military successes, and many cultural and artistic