Augustus Caesar, the founder of the Roman Empire, is one of the great pivotal figures in
history. He ended civil wars that had disrupted the Roman Republic during the First century BC,
and he reorganized the Roman government so that internal peace and prosperity were maintained
for the next two centuries.
Gaius Octavius ( better known as Octavian; did not receive the title "Augustus' until he was
thirty-five years old) was born in 63BC. He was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar who was the
leading political figure of Rome during Octavians youth.
Julius Caesar, who had no legimate sons of his own, liked the youth, and helped prepare him
for a political career. However, when Caesar was assinated in 44BC, Octavian was still only
an eighteen-year old student. The death of Caesar set off a long and bitter struggle for power
between various Roman military and political figures. At first, his rivals, who were all men
of long experience in the rough arena of Roman politics, did not consider the youthful
Octavian a serious threat. Indeed, the young man's only vissible asset was that Julius Caesar
had adopted him as his son.
By making skillful use of this advantage, Octavian managed to win the support of some of
Caesars legions. Many of Caesars troops, however chose to support Mark Anthony, who controlled
the eastern portion, and Octavian who controlled the west. For a few years, there was an uneasy
truce between them.
During that time, Anthony, seems to have paid to much attention to his romance with Cleopatra,
while Octavian steadily improved his position, war broke out between the two men in 32BC,
and the issue was decided by the great naval battle at Actium (in 31BC), which was won by
Octavian's forces. The following year, the war ended with the complete triumph of Octavian,
and Anthony and Cleopatra commited suicide.
Octavian had now achieved the same position of power that Julius Caesar had attained fifteen
years earlier. Caesar had been assinated, because it had been obivious that he intented to end
republic government in Rome and set himself up as a monarch.
But by 30BC, after many years of civil war and the obivious failure of republic government in
Rome, most Romans were willing to accept a benovolent despot, as long as the pretense of
democraftic rule was controlled.
Octavian, though he had been ruthless during his fight to the top, was surprisingly
conciliatory once he was established in power. In 27BC, to soothe senatorial feelings, he
announced that he was restoring the republic, and he offered to resign all his government
posts.
In fact, however, he retained his position as head of theb provinces of Spain, Gaul,
and Syria. Since the majority of Roman troops were in these provinces the actual power was
securely in his hands.
The Senate roted him the honorific title of Augustus , but he never assumed the title of King.
In theory, Rome was still a republic, and Augustus was no more than princeps (first citizen).
In actual practise, the greateful and docile Senate appointed Augustus to whatever position's
he chose, and for the remainder of his life he was effectively a dictator. By the time he had
died in 14AD, Rome had completed the transiton from republic to monarchy, and his adopted son
suceeded him without difficulty.
Augustus ruled Rome for over fourty years, and his policies infleunced the Empire for many
years to come. Under him, his armies completed the conquest of Spain, Switzeland, Galatia
(in Asia Minor ), and large portion of the Balkans.
By the end of his rule, the northern boundary of the empire was not much different from the
Rhine-Danube line which was to be the northern border for most of the next few centuries.
Augustus was an extradinarly able administrator and played a major role in the building up a
capable civil service. He revised the tax structure and financial system of the Roman state;
he reorganized the Roman army; and he established a permanent navy. He also organized a
personal bodyguard, the Praetorian Guard, which in future centuries was to play the rple in
selecting and deposing emperors.
Under Augustus, an extensive network of excellent roads was constructed throughout the Roman
Empire; many public buildings were erected in Rome itself; and the city was greatly beautified.
Temples were constructed, and Augustus encouraged observance of and loyalty to the old Roman
religion. Laws were passed encouraging marriage and the raising of children.
From 30BC, on , Rome had internal peace under Augustus. The natural result was a greatly
increased prosperity. This, in turn, led to a great flourishing of the arts, and the Augustan
Age was the golden age of Roman literature.
Augustus had no son's, and a nephew and two grandsons died before him; he therefore adopted
his stepson, Tiberius, and designated him his sucessor. But the dynasty (which later included
the infamous rulers Caligula and Nero) soon became extinct.
Nevertherless, the period of internal peace that commenced with Augustus, the so-called Pax
Romana, was to endure for some two hundred years. During this extended period of peace and
prosperity, Roman culture was suffused deeply into the territories that Augustus and other
Roman leaders had conquered.
The Roman Empire is the most celebrated empire of antiquity, and rightly so. For Rome was both
the culmination of ancient civilasation and the principal conduit by which the ideas and
cultural achievements of the peoples of the ancient world (Egyptions, Babylonians, Jews,
Greeks, and others) have been transmitted to western Europe.
It is interesting to compare Augustus with his granduncle, Julius Caesar. Despite Augustus
good looks, intelligence, strength of charactor, and military sucess, he lacked his
predissor's charisma. Many people oftenly forget that it was Julius Caesar who founded the
Roman Empire, not Augustus. Julus Caesar was not the first Roman emperor, he was one of the
great political figures of Rome of the First Century BC, it was Augustus, who was the founder
of the Roman Empire, not Julius, and it was Augustus who became the first Roman emperor, and
who brought stabillity, peace and prosperity in Rome, for the next two centuries.
What can be said is that, Julius Caesar set the stage for Augustus. I suggest thar the
important of the two between Julius and Augustus, is Augustus. It is interesting to compare
Augustus with Alexander the Great. But Augustus had to overcome much tougher competition in
order to reach the top. His military skills wasn't neither exceptional compared to Alexander,
but the conquests of Augustus were more effective than the conquests of Alexander.
Augustus carefully built for the future, and as a result, his long-term infleunce on human
history has been considerably larger. Augustus might also be compared with George Washington.
Both of them played important roles in world history; but in view of the length of Augustus
rule, the sucess of his policies, and the importance of the Roman Empire in world history,
I believe that Augustus should be ranked the higher of the two.