Exploring Roman History: Power Dynamics and Defining Characteristics

This essay examines the defining characteristics of Rome, emphasizing the central role of power in its rise and dominance. It argues that the concentration of power in the hands of statesmen, rather than a truly democratic system, was a key factor. The essay also highlights the social stratification between patricians and plebeians and the strategic use of technology and military organization. Ultimately, the essay posits that Rome's ability to wield power effectively, both internally and externally, was its most defining trait. Desklib provides access to similar student-contributed assignments to aid in your studies.

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

1ROMAN HISTORY
Most defining characteristic of Rome
Rome has been one of the most exceptional powers that have dominated the world for
over many centuries. According to the Levack et al. (2007), it can be stated that the power is the
most dominating factor to be the most defining characteristic for Rome. The dominance of power
were shown by the emergence of the Roman power had strengthened the Roman Empire to a
new manner. This is they outsmarted the government and laws of the country by possessing the
supreme power and controlling the people of the region.
The power of the statesmen could be termed as the most important fact as to why Rome
rose as a superpower in the world history. The Republic of Rome was set up by the Roman
emperors that symbolized that statesmen would be elected by the common people but the elected
people would run the country (Levack et al. 2007). This means it is quite different from the idea
of the democracy where all the people of the state play an active role in the overall governance.
The nature of the citizens had great variations in this empire (Mattingly 2013).
The variations enriched the opportunities for the Romans to flourish in the international
stage. The power politics played an active role in separating the patricians and the plebeians
(Mattingly 2013). This is the reason that the centralized power of the emperors proved stronger
than the government and laws of the country. The geographic factors also helped the Romans to
conquer the country for over centuries. They also emerged as superpower because they knew to
use the technology and organize their military forces in a great manner.

2ROMAN HISTORY
References
Levack, Brian, Edward Muir, Meredith Veldman, and Michael Maas. The West: Encounters and
Transformations, Volume I. New York: Longman, 2007.
Mattingly, David J. Imperialism, power, and identity: Experiencing the Roman Empire.
Princeton University Press, 2013.