I honestly wonder what would have happened if Caesar wasn’t slain. He advocated for reform and had total power… not that tyrants are good or anything, and his heir sucked nuts.
and his heir sucked nuts.
Augustus? The first Emperor of Rome? Sucked nuts? Interesting take.
Augustus was a masterful politician and propagandist. Beyond that? I don’t think I actually have much praise for him either, lol
As much as I love Caesar, I doubt he would have changed the fundamental structural problems with the Republic. He was a lifelong populare, and his belief in land reform was probably genuine, but the Roman Republic needed a total constitutional overhaul. It just was not a well-functioning entity by that time, and I don’t think Caesar ever expressed interest in that kind of radicalism.
And, I mean, let’s face it, he got stabbed by the conservatives for doing exactly what the ultraconservative Sulla did a generation before (taking dictatorial power without express term limit), only with Caesar forgiving instead of murdering his enemies, and being more poor-friendly - the chance of him getting through something more radical even if that was on his mind was effectively nil.
I don’t doubt for a second that he would have tried to reform and change the system. I just doubt whether he could have succeeded or not.