The First Emperor Augustus, Essay Example

Historical Context

The section of the document talks about the Roman Empire rule during the reign of the first Emperor Augustus (also called Gaius Octavius).

What is the Authors Name?

The authors name is Cassius Dio, who majorly wrote about the Roman political history.

When was the document composed?

The document was written in 1917.

What was the purpose of the document?

The document describes the vague nature in which Roman leadership retained numerous monarchy attributes in its new system of governance, even though the leadership claimed that the state was a republic.

Summary

The document highlights the transition that occurred in the Roman Empire from a monarchy system of governance to a ‘presumed’ republic state. The paper mainly discusses the abuse of power by the Roman leadership. In order for Emperor Augustus to have power beyond Rome’s religious boundary, he appoints himself as consultant for every vital government function by ‘virtue of his title’. Essentially the Emperor undermines the power of any administrative function that appears independent of his control. These includes the Senate, Consuls and any official that threatens the Tribune.

Analysis

As much as legislation limits the power of the emperor outside the pomerium (a religious boundary), the emperor still uses his ‘mighty’ title to abuse power outside the pomerium. The document primary reveals that the Imperator (Emperor) was supposed to devolve his powers of governance, but he only does the opposite. Instead, he acts like a ‘King’ and attempts to bend every branch of government to his will. This is evident from the statement ‘By virtue of the title…”.  Considering Augustus successors were from his family, then as Rome is a monarch instead of being labeled a republic.

It is a classic example of the vague nature in which governing systems claim to appear righteous and transparent, when in reality, the leadership always finds a way to abuse and wheel power and the same time exhibit impunity for their actions.The historical significance of this excerpt is that this form of leadership is evident in countries like Zimbabwe and Uganda, where sitting Presidents remain in power while creating the illusion of democracy.