Civic Morality And The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic rose from a city-state on the Tiber River in Italy to the hegemon of the Mediterranean world,and in the face of a highly competitive living environment,the Roman Republic has always maintained its own development by rallying the moral consciousness of the collective citizenry.In competition with the peoples of the Mediterranean,the rise and fall of the Roman Republic was closely linked to its own unique morality.The strong moral convictions of the Roman Republic were key factors in the ability of the Romans to distinguish themselves from their neighbors,achieve the rise of the state,and establish hegemony in the Mediterranean.Since the Roman Republic,a set of moral concepts formed around the state,the collective,and the citizens has been the core of Rome’s national strength.Whether it was the politics and diplomacy of the Roman Republic,or the daily life and habits of the Romans,the Romans adhered to the collective norms of behavior and moral consciousness.The spiritual norms of the Romans themselves were not only effective in stopping the general degeneration of the citizens,but also helped the Romans out of their predicament at a critical moment in the development of the citystate.The moral norms enjoyed by Roman citizens are not only reflected in the group of citizens,but the Romans,as a complete ethnic group,can maintain the same Roman morality regardless of political status.In everyday life,senators and freedmen,even slaves,were able to cultivate the land and follow simple living norms.At the same time,in peacetime,the Romans still maintained a hard and simple living habit,and Rome’s civic morality was rooted here.In the later period of the Republic,Roman society changed drastically,from the loss of citizens’ land,to the corruption of Roman politics,to the emergence of oligarchic dictators and the corruption of Roman society,the loss of Roman civic morality,the republican Rome was on the verge of collapse,and the Roman republic was eventually replaced by the head of state.The moral degradation of Rome coincided with the rapid expansion of the Roman Republic,the result of a combination of factors in the development of the Republic.After establishing its hegemony in the Mediterranean,the Roman Republic gradually lost its original moral beliefs under the influence of Eastern cultural factors.From everyday habits to clothing and eating,the Romans were obsessed with luxurious material comforts.From material possessions to spiritual cores,Rome became empty and degenerate.The decline of the Roman Republic became inevitable when the Romans no longer adhered to traditional civic morality but were content with realistic material comforts.In the early Roman Republic,the political elite was seen as Rome’s moral example,but in the later part of the Republic,the elite began to use wealth and intrigue for personal political gain,and the era in which citizens relied on virtue and honor to obtain Roman office was changed.The state property of the Roman Republic was controlled by those in power,and the elites,in turn,used their personal power to maintain the Roman Republic,ostensibly preserving it,but in fact hastening the end of the Roman Republic,and the political base of the Republic collapsed.The trinity of citizens,peasants and soldiers of the Romans was broken,and the basis for the prosperity of Roman society ceased to exist.The citizens in it did not realize the seriousness of the problem,but indulged in the vast material wealth of the East brought about by the rapid expansion of the country.When the Republic was unsustainable,in the face of political turmoil,the Romans began to reminisce about the past and yearn for the return of traditional civic morality.