First off, sorry for the delay in posts. Things haven’t been ideal and I spent more time stressed out about other things, but I will try my best to be dedicated to offering viewpoints that aren’t provided by propaganda machines.

Our republic is broken. While the democratic process has never been one of streamlined harmony, battle lines are being drawn on every issue and compromise becomes synonymous for defeat. Instead of keeping the interests of the republic first, our elected officials squabble for self preservation and self interests. While the talking heads spew out viewpoints to continue to polarize the people, our republic rests at a fork in the road of its fate.

I know this is repetitive from my previous post with the theory of history repeating itself. Of course there is the famous quote from George Santayna of those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it, but many historians like to theorize that history is of unique events. I like to believe that yes situations are unique, but they share the similarities of human nature. While our society contrasts differently with those of the past, the personalities of those who ruled and were ruled remains the same. Even Rome stood at this crisis in the waning days of its republic.

Popular notion decries that it was Julius Caesar’s dictatorship that killed the Roman Republic, its death was done a generation earlier. Through its unchallenged position as a regional power, and the ensuing political deadlock brought upon the end of democratic rule until the Renaissance.

In the first century BC, the Roman Republic was the lone power in the Mediterranean basin, and struggling with its changed role in the world. Territorial expansion flooded the Roman economy with a surplus of slaves, which took away the jobs from the lower class Roman citizen called plebeians. Through their sources of power in the government, the people’s assemblies, the tribunate, and their allies within the Senate Marius and Cinna, they presented their political power of extension of citizenship, subsidized food for the urban poor, and limiting slavery. This political faction became known as the populares.

They were opposed by the optimates, the wealthy elite in the Senate championed by Lucius Cornelius Sulla. They wanted to maintain a strong Senate to keep the plebeians and the new elites in check to their established power, and preserve their power accrued from their noble births. They had done so with success throughout the history of the Republic, including such famous generals of Scipio Africanus, defeater of Hannibal. However, popular sentiment was going against them through the populares legislation, and ambitious generals such as Marius using their newfound wealth for the people such as buying land for veterans, public sporting events, and other populist moves.

These factions unlike modern political parties were not unified under an ethos. They served as as individual alliances for self preservation. Individuals often changed sides to be on the winning one or the one that promised more gain, or who was in command of the legions.

Tensions erupted over the Senate’s appointment of Sulla to command Roman forces in the east. Marius wanted it for his last bid of glory so he convinced tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus to have the tribunes revoke Sulla’s command, and removed his supporters from the Senate. Sulla managed to escape to his troops ecamped in Southern Italy after pleaing for an end to the violence fell on deaf ears. He then began a campaign no other Roman officer did He marched upon Rome. Sulla’s forces easily defeated those of Marius and Cinna, but they managed to escape his wrath. After consolidating the senate and regaining his command, Sulla went East.

Marius and Cinna managed again to kill Sulla’s supporters in the Senate, stripped him of his command, and began marshalling forces to eliminate him. Fortunately for Sulla, Marius died of old age and Cinna was killed by his own troops while on the march. Sulla convinced troops loyal to Cinna to join his side, and after finishing his campaigns in the East went back to march on Rome for a second time, and this time he did not leave.

After defeating the remnants of Cinna’s and Marius’s forces, Sulla was appointed Dictator for the making of laws and for the settling of the constitution. What made it controversial was instead of being a traditional republican dictator, an appointment of 6 months when the republic was in dire straits, Sulla was appointed for an unlimited term. His first step was purging his enemies from power. He had his enemies and even minute supporters executed, their property confiscated and auctioned, and banned their family members from serving in the government for 30 years. He then expanded the power of the Senate by increasing membership and responsibilities and stripping the Tribune, the bastion of the plebeians, of any real power. Once is policies were entrenched, he resigned from dictatorship and the Republic limped on for another 40 years. While our ambitious politicians do not have as much influence as their Roman counterparts, they created a paradox where either side is fighting to “save” the republic from the enemies of the opposition.

While our leaders do not wield the direct power as their Roman counterparts did, they have set up a similar situation. While more organized as political factions, American political parties still remain people with personal ambition willing to do anything to maintain and grow their power. On one side we have the conservative Republican party. who believe in order to save the country, more power should be placed in the wealthy minority, and that there should be less regulation against their actions. On the other the liberal Democrats stand for the masses where the wealthy should be curbed and more should be given to the middle class and the poor by means of social and welfare programs. Since the post World War II era, these two factions remained in relative balance until recessions in the 1970’s. Since then, both sides have been jockeying for control of how to divide the country.

Our republic is at a crossroads, a hyper-power struggling to cope with other powers rising to shrink its dominance on a global scale. Decades of wreckless political, economic, and social policies have finally caught up to place the United States behind most developed nations in health care, education, and infrastructure. Instead of rising to the occasion to tackle these issues in a responsible manner, the political process has devolved into every issue becoming brinksmanship. The past year has seen two 11th hour deals to prevent federal government shutdown and default. Multiple states have shutdown or had the political process severely compromised. How much of this strife can our republic handle before our political parties start taking the actions that Marius and Sulla did? While they preached to save to republic, they actually set the stage for the republic to devolve into an empire. If they, both our ancient and contemporary politicians truly wanted to save their republics, egos would have to be put aside and do actions to resolve standing issues where their republics were better off for the long run.