ARTS 2282: The Social War in Rome - Causes, Conflicts, and Results

This essay delves into the Social War (91-88 BC), a pivotal conflict between Rome and various Italian tribes. It explores the historical context, including the Samnite Wars and the alliance dynamics, highlighting the dissatisfaction of Italian allies due to unequal treatment, land distribution policies, and the denial of Roman citizenship. The essay examines the causes of the war, including the assassination of Drusus, the class distinctions within Roman society, and the resulting tensions. It details the war's events, the formation of an Italian Federation, and the rebels' strategies, including their own coinage and military prowess. The essay also discusses Roman strategies, such as offering citizenship to neutral kingdoms and granting concessions, like the Lex Julia, to quell the rebellion and prevent future conflicts. The analysis covers the war's outcomes, including the Romanization of Italy and the lasting impact on the Roman Republic.

Running head: HISTORY
History
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HISTORY
The Social War is one of the most important historical events which the readers of the
world history would come to recognize in the country itself. The social war was formed as
the result of the war which took place between the country of Rome and the various tribes
which were present in the Italian continent during the years of 91-88 BC itself. The main
reason for the outbreak of this war in the country of Italy itself was the fact that the small
tribes of the country were unhappy with the way in which they were treated by the state of
Rome itself. As a result of this dissatisfaction itself, it can be said that that there was a long
and devastating war which took place between the Italian tribes and the state of Rome in the
world itself. The Romans had completely ignored the demands of their Italian allies, which
was the demand of the citizenship of Rome along with all the power and the privileges which
were enjoyed by the people of Rome themselves. The disagreement between the Romans and
the Italian tribes themselves led to the war which resulted in the death and the destruction of
lives and the property in the country itself. The outcome of this battle was the fact that it had
led to the complete Romanization of the country of Italy itself. This is what the readers will
discuss in the essay itself.
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the various reasons why Italy and Rome
engaged in war with each other and the outcomes and the consequences which had
resulted from the war itself.
Before discussing the various reasons why the state of Rome and the tribal groups of
Italy went to war with each other, it is better for the readers to understand the historical
situations which was present in the country during that time. In this case, it is worth noting
the fact that the Samnite Wars in which Rome was victorious in itself, had resulted in the
complete dominance of the Rome in the country (Dart, 2014). This had resulted in the
alliance formed between the state of Rome and that of the tribal states of Italy itself. The
alliance between these states and the sates of Rome itself meant that the states that were

2HISTORY
conquered by Rome itself were independent by themselves, but at the same time, it was also
said that the state of Rome had the right to demand form these states a number of tribute
money as well as a number of soldiers as needed by them (Champion, 2015). In addition to
this, it can be said that the state of Rome over the various foreign policies over these allies
themselves. This is considered to be the point where the dissatisfaction against the Roman
Empire had started to build in the country itself. This dissatisfaction had ultimately led to the
case of The Second Punic War in which Hannibal had succeeded in creating certain forms of
opposition against the Romans. However, it can be said in this case that some part of the
Italian tribes were still happy and contented about being allies of the Roman Empire and the
alliance that they had over the people of the Italian states itself (Dart, 2014).
However, in order to understand the main reason behind the outbreak of the war itself,
the focus of the readers should be shifted to the problems which the tribals had the land
distribution policies of the Romans themselves. This is because of the fact that the land
distribution policy which the Romans made in the country had resulted in the dissatisfaction
of the tribal people of that time itself. It is worth noting in this regard that a number of
political discussions was held in the country regarding this issue itself. The main objections
of the people of these times was the fact that had made a large number of contributions to the
Roman army as well as had paid them large amounts of tribute money for the purpose of
Rome themselves (Champion,2015). Despite of these contributions to Rome, the tribals of the
country were of the opinion that they had received very small and meagre amounts of gifts
and rewards form the kingdom of Rome itself. Although Drusus wanted to accept the
demands of the Italian tribes in the country itself and make the alliance between themselves
and the Italians even greater than it was before, it can be said that the attitude of the Roman
senate to the ideals of Drusus was a negative one itself. This event had resulted in the
rejection of the ideals of Drusus himself and his assassinations itself. This incident proved to

3HISTORY
the Italians themselves that the Romans do not care about the needs and the concerns of the
Italians themselves, They realized the Romans are concerned about the demands and the
interests of the Italian tribes in the country and are only concerned with the exploitation of the
tribals themselves. It is this long-time dissatisfaction against the Roman policies in the
country itself which has led to the outbreak of the Social War against the country of Rome by
the people of the Italian tribes itself (Dart, 2015).
However, the main reasons for the people of the Italian tribes revolting against the
Roman Empire in the country is because of the fact that there were huge tensions between the
people belonging from the tribal parts of Italy and that if Rome itself. This was because of the
way in which the Romans themselves had divided the class and the society in which they had
been living themselves. This can be seen by the three level class distinctions by the Romans
themselves, which included the Roman citizens themselves, the Latini comprising of the
defeated Latin kingdoms and then the allies of the Italian states themselves. All of these facts
in addition to that of the increased tensions of land in the country itself had led to the
outbreak of the so called social war in the country of Italy itself.
Many experts are of the opinion that the outbreak of the war in the country if Italy
was a violent one in itself. The war against Rome was mainly started by the allies first as the
dissatisfaction of the allies against the land policies of Italy was said to be the most(Dart,
2014). It is believed that the kingdoms of Etruscans and those of the Umbrians had remained
neutral at the time of the state of the war as they were receiving high level of help from the
state of Rome itself (Lomas, 2013). It can be said that the Romans themselves offered these
two kingdoms to be the citizens of Rome themselves so that these kingdoms themselves
becomes a part of the rebellion itself. Apart from these two kingdoms itself, it can be said that
the rest of the Italian tribes totally revolted against the Roman kingdom. They had planned to
separate their kingdom from that of Rome itself and wanted to form their own version of the

4HISTORY
Italian Federation itself, which, they had aimed to create without the inclusion of the kingdom
of Rome itself1. These rebels had formed their own capital at the city of Corfinium which was
also known to the readers by the name of the city Italica itself.
To further establish themselves as a separate kingdom to that of Rome in their own
country themselves, it can be said by the readers that these rebels also had formed their own
system of the coinage for using them in a number of purposes itself (Champion, 2014). These
purposes included the use of these coins for carrying out various types of activities in the
country themselves which was against the propaganda of the Romans themselves. Therefore,
it can be said that the rebels in the country were well equipped themselves to face the might
of the Romans army. The coins of the rebels are also said to be of importance themselves
because of the figures and the information which one can find in these coins itself. In addition
to this, it can be said that the Italian soldiers themselves were battle hardened as most of these
soldiers were said to have fought in the wars with the Roman army themselves. Hence, it can
be said by the readers that the Italian soldiers were well aware of the strength of the Roman
army. It is because of the reason that the Italians proved to be a formidable opponent for the
Roman soldiers in the Social Wat which took place in the country during that time itself.
It is worth noting in this case, that the Romans had to formulate careful strategies to
make sure that they would be able to defeat the Italians in the Social War itself. Because of
this, the Romans themselves resorted to the strategies of onslaught while warning their allies
to remain on the sides of the Romans themselves and also spying upon the rebels in the
country themselves (Champion, 2014). In these ways, it can be said that the Roans were able
to not only crush the revolution in the areas where the rebel armies were attacking but able to
keep a check on the revels themselves to see if the revels themselves had joined the rebellions
or not. Hence, it can be said that in this case, the Romans had anticipated the rebels and their
1 Goodman, Martin. The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180. Routledge, 2013.

5HISTORY
activities by their actions itself. Thus made it easier for the Romans to keep a track of the
enemies and the various areas in which these enemies were causing their rebellions against
the Roman empire itself. Another advantage which the Romans had over the Italians at this
time is the fact the Roman Generals had a number of consuls in their services which had
allowed them to be informed about the activities of the rebels in the country (Dart, 2015). In
addition to this, the consuls of the Roman Generals themselves also had heled them to devise
and decide the strategies that they would be using for the battles against the Romans
themselves. These are the various ways which allowed the Romans to secure their victories
over their opponents themselves. In this regard, it can be said that the Social War in Italy had
ended by the end of the 90 BC itself because of the fact that the that almost all of the rivals of
the Romans had been crushed in the war itself2. It was only the Samnites who were
continuing the war with the Romans and it is said by the historians that the various strategies
adapted by the Romans themselves prevented the war from continuing for even longer
periods of time itself (Lomas, 2017).
It is said by the historians themselves that the Romans had to resort to taking various
measures to prevent another war of this calibre from breaking out in the country itself
(Lomas. This was mainly done by Lucius Julius Caesar himself in which he had to grant
various concessions to the rivals of the Romans as well as the various tribals in the country of
Italy so that they remain happy with the various concessions provided to them by the Romans
themselves. The most important part of this concession includes the concept of the Lex Julia,
as it was proposed by Julius Caesar himself (Dart, 2014). This concept of Lex Julia is
important because it had helped to grant the Roman citizenship to the people of the country of
2 Lomas, Kathryn. "11: Italy during the Roman Republic, 338–31 bc." The Cambridge
Companion to the Roman Republic (2014): 233.

6HISTORY
Italy. However, the main intention of Caesar behind taking this step was to ensure the fact
that the Umbrians and the Etruscans in the country of Italy itself.
However one of the negative points which the concepts of Lex Julia had on the Italian
tribals itself is the fact that although the Romans did grant the citizenship of Rome to all the
rivals and the tribals of Italy themselves, it was mainly done in the communities themselves
and not provided to the concept of the individuals in the country itself3. This was followed by
another law in the country itself which was said to have provided citizenship to the tribals and
the other rivals of the Romans themselves, who had revolted against the Romans in the
rebellion itself in the country (Champion, 2014).
Thus, from the above discussions, it is clear that the main reason why the Italians
went to war with the Romans is because of the fact that the tensions between the people and
the senate on the grounds of land itself. It is this dissatisfaction among the Italians which had
led to so much problems in the country. In this regard, it can be said that the people of the
country had demanded for their rights to be met by the Roman senate itself which had led to
their ignorance. As a result, this has resulted in the tribals in the country facing
disappointment from the Roman kingdom which had resulted in the beginning of the war for
the people of the country themselves. It can be said in this matter that the Romans had to face
a lot of damages in the war themselves which had led them to adapt various strategies that
would lead them to adapt various strategies and measures to bring the war to an end. Hence,
it can be said that is these strategies which gained the rivals of the Romans their own
citizenship of the Roman kingdoms as well as the brought about the end of the Social War for
the country itself.
3 Champion, Craige Brian, and Charles Goldberg. Roman Imperialism. Oxford
University Press, 2014.

7HISTORY
Reference List
Champion, Craige Brian, and Charles Goldberg. Roman Imperialism. Oxford University
Press, 2014.
Dart, Christopher J. "The Social War, 91 to 88 BCE." A History of the Italian Insurgency
against the Roman Republic (2014).
Dart, Christopher J. The Social War, 91 to 88 BCE: a history of the Italian insurgency
against the Roman Republic. Routledge, 2016.
Goodman, Martin. The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180. Routledge, 2013.
Lomas, Kathryn. "11: Italy during the Roman Republic, 338–31 bc." The Cambridge
Companion to the Roman Republic (2014): 233.
Lomas, Kathryn. Roman Italy, 338 BC-AD 200: a sourcebook. Routledge, 2014.