Political and social changes in Rome as a result of the wars

The most obvious were the increased role of the senate, the influx of wealth that arrived in Rome and the introduction of Hellenize. It is believed that these changes were not just the beginnings of the downfall of the republic, but of the entire Roman Empire. Indeed, Assault, writing in the first century BC states that although "every land and sea lay open to her. It was then that fortune turned unkind and confounded all her enterprises. The senate was already a powerful body in Romeos government, these events, forever greatly increased its power. Constitutionally, the senate was an advisory body; the Alex Horniness, passed in 287, gave the power to make decisions to the Continuum Plebes. In practice, however, the senate was the governing body of Rome and It ruled unchallenged throughout the second century. This power was obtained through Its successful control over Romeos wars of expansion. In fact, the crisis caused by the Second Punic War helped the senate's rise to power more than any other single factor.

The senate consisted of ex-magistrates who had an enormous amount of experience in government. These senators took control of Rome and showed real leadership, particularly after Canaan. They provided loans, slaves for the army and food and arms, thus ending the war successfully and increasing their prestige. The Influence the senate held over the magistrates was another factor In their Increased power. Even though Roman magistrates were not obliged to seek or follow the senate's advice, they would usually submit all important issues to the senate before showing them to the assemblies.

The senators would have been able to keep a tight control on the actions of the magistrates even if they didn't volunteer heir plans. The senate could find another magistrate to veto any unsatisfactory motion they put forward. The Alex Villa Annalist was passed in 181 as a check on any over-ambitious magistrate, It gave the senate the power to control the actions of consuls and procrastinates such as Gossip Africans who ruled unchallenged in Spain for 10 years.

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The influx of wealth that arrived in Rome led to the deterioration of traditional values. The booty and riches from the successful wars against Hannibal and Macedonia allowed the upper classes to spend lavishly on food, houses, works of art and other expensive goods. This led to a gradual decline In morals as their wealth led to increased greed and laziness. The upper classes "treated their wealth as a mere plaything" according to Assault.

There were attempts from the conservative faction of the senate, specifically from Coat the Elder, to limit the extravagance of the ruling classes. The laws they put in place were, however, very difficult to enforce and, unsurprisingly, quite unpopular. An example of this is the Poplar law which was passed In 215. It attempted to restrict the amount of Jewelry and expensive clothing o the civilized society he expected of Rome, especially during one of the most taxing wars in Romeos history.

As the nobles of Rome competed for popularity among the masses, they poured more and more money into the public games. This is another example of the deterioration of the moss moratorium as the new events became more violent and brutal, this had an adverse affect on the character of those who watched them. The money that flowed into Rome as a result of these wars was therefore a huge factor in the deterioration of the traditional Roman way of life. The wars with Greece exposed the Romans to the cultural influences of the Hellenic world.

Perhaps the most important outcome of the wars of expansion was the introduction of Hellenize to Rome, the extent to which the Romans were affected by the Greeks is shown in the writing of Horace who states that "captive Greece had captivated her barbarous conqueror". Greek culture influenced many things about Roman daily life but the most predominant aspects were religion and education and the reaction to those changes was twofold. Plutarch says that many upper class citizens were happy to see their sons educated in Greek culture and religion, two of these philistines were Gossip Africans and Flamingos.

The conservatives, such as Coat, were worried that the ambitions of the younger generations were tainted by Greek learning and that their new ideas would undermine the existing customs in Rome. The result was a widespread blend of traditional Roman values and the new Hellenic ideas which produced a Graces-Roman society. The wars of expansion were a massive event in shaping the political and social structure of Rome. This is shown through the increase in the power of the senate, the influx of wealth that flowed into Rome and the introduction of Hellenize to Roman society.

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