Title: Impact of Gaius Marius’ Reforms
Headings: Impact of Gaius Marius’ Reforms
Impact of Gaius Marius’ Reforms
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Content: The problems that followed the reforms caused great political tension. Civil wars broke out all over Rome after the reforms were introduced to granting land to veterans. The Roman soldiers relied on their generals to present treasures and loot from the wars and battles that took place. In return, the generals gained the loyalty from their troops which created a dangerous precedent in the eyes of the Senate as the legions went from being Rome’s armies to the general’s personal army (Erenow, 2019). Consequently, civil wars erupted as the various generals fought over total power and played a significant role in the decline of the Republic. The reforms that granted the land to the veterans, had negative long-term effects as many of the veterans originated from the landless classes and did not know how to grow and farm produce. This issue lead to many veterans falling into debt and turning on the Roman Republic with the military skills that they acquired whilst serving in the Roman army (White, 2011). Rome’s army became more of a political force rather than a military force as generals obtained the complete loyalty of their soldiers and used them against each other (Daily History, 2019). Marius pioneered this ambitious approach towards advancing his own agenda as well as his own political career. After the social war, this mentality was adopted by Lucius Cornelius Sulla and allowed him to gain Consulship in 88 BCE (Gill, 2018).