Title: FC31: The Fall of the Roman Republic (133-31 BCE) - The Flow of History
Headings: FC31:
The Fall of the Roman Republic (133-31 BCE)

FC31: The Fall of the Roman Republic (133-31 BCE)
Pattern of decline
First attempts at reform: the Gracchi
Marius and the Roman army
Sulla and the First Civil War
The rise of Julius Caesar
Octavian, Antony, and two more civil wars (44-31 B.C.E.)

Content: The third effect had to do with getting recruits. The main inducement to serve was that after his term of service, a veteran would receive a plot of land on which to start his own farm. However, since each general had to get a separate land bill passed by the Senate for his particular army, the soldier looked to his general for a land settlement. Therefore, the troops' loyalty tended to belong to the individual generals rather than the Senate. This meant that a new element, generals backed by their own armies, had become a factor in Roman politics. However, Marius' recruiting and tactical reforms created a much more efficient and professional army, which is what Rome needed at this time. In Marius' sixth consulship, the Cimbri and Teutones finally got around to invading Italy after a leisurely rampage through Spain and Gaul. The newly reformed legions cleverly maneuvered the invaders into a bad position and then destroyed them under the hot Italian sun. Marius was the hero of the hour and acclaimed the Third Founder of Rome after the legendary Romulus and Camillus. Marius may have been a good general, but he was a mediocre politician.