Why Was The Roman Empire So Successful?

Both Athens, Rome and the Delian League were city-states that developed into empires by war. Athens didn’t survive the end of the Delian League. The Roman Empire, however, lasted centuries from 31 B.C.E. From 476 C.E. (Mark). The Roman Empire was different than the Roman Republic. The republic was similar to that of the Athenian Empire. Rome borrowed ideas from Athens, but it didn’t make the same bad decisions as Athens. This made it more successful than Athenian Empire. Although the Athenian Empire was an integral part of Delian League, they were isolated from the allied polies by their imperialism. Furthermore, the Peloponnesian War added tension to Athens’ relationship with the rest Delian League members. Sparta rebelled at Athens against 405 B.C.E., effectively dissolving Delian League. Athens could not have stopped Sparta from revolting against them in 405 B.C.E., effectively dissolving the Delian League. (Britannica). Athens wanted too many power to their empire. They tried to take it with force but were too small and ineffective to ask for loyalty from conquered areas. The democracy of Athens, however, was better than that of Rome’s early Roman Republic. Pericles was the leader of the Athenian government. However, it did not have the same basis for its government as Athens and was only available to the wealthy. Politics was a constant struggle between the nobles of the commoners. Some commoners gained power through the generosity of the nobles. But they couldn’t veto anything that didn’t benefit them as nobles. The empire’s rapid growth caused political life to collapse. As landowners became wealthier, the problems between the poor and the rich grew. Farmers were forced from public land by wealthy landowners. The government became more beneficial for the wealthy than for the common people. Reforms to these social issues were met with failure. The turning point in the history of the Roman Empire was the Punic Wars. Although the empire was already large and powerful, it reached its greatest heights after the Third Punic War. It spanned the borders of Asia Minor and Greece to the Atlantic coast in Spain. The Punic Wars were amongst the most bloody and violent wars of all time. Rome was still the dominant power on the Italian Peninsula at the time that the First Punic War occurred. Carthage, which was the dominant power north Africa, was the only thing standing between Rome’s expansion. (History.com). The Romans participated in many other activities throughout the century. The Macedonian Wars began when Philip V. Macedon, an enemy of Rome’s success, joined Carthage in Second Punic War. Rome sent an ultimatum to Philip V asking him not to attack any Greek cities or pay reparations. Pergamum refused. Two years later, Flaminius was sent by Rome to drive Philip out of Greece. Flaminius was defeated by Philip with the support of Greece. (Kagan, pg. 103) After seven days of bloodshed, the Carthaginians surrendered to Rome. This was the end of the Punic Wars. The Roman Empire was much larger than that of the Athenian Empire. Rome’s rise to the top was made possible by bloodshed. Despite its history and violence, Rome was still able to gather some of the best cultures. Andrew Wallace Hadrill said that Rome’s planting of cities and their familiar system of entertainment and public services was a sign of its progress to “first-world” status. While Rome borrowed ideas from Athens in political and religious matters, Rome made better decisions than Athens. Rome included all conquered cities and established local government to connect them with the main roads. This ensured their commerce and daily life flourished. This made Rome’s Empire more successful that the Athenian Empire.