Chapter 6 - World History
Transcript of Chapter 6 - World History
Rome & ChristianityRome & Christianity
Chapter 6
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Myth of Rome–Founded by Romulus and
Remus•Twins abandoned and raised by she-wolf
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Benefits of location–Hills–River–Peninsula–Alps
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Latins, Greeks, and Etruscans–Alphabet and
arch
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•After being taken over and ruled by a number of Etruscan kings, the people of Rome wanted new government–Republic: power rests with the
citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Social classes–Patricians:
wealthy landowners with most power
–Plebeians: commoners who made up majority of population
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
Patricians• Inherited status• Make laws• Forced to write
the Twelve Tables– All free citizens
have right to protection of law
Plebeians• Right to vote• Couldn’t hold
government positions
• Tribunes: assemblies of plebeian representatives
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•By the 1st century B.C.
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Two consuls– Like kings–Ran military–One-year term–Can veto each other
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Senate–Originally
only had patricians
–Made foreign and domestic policies
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Tribunes & Assemblies–Mostly
plebeians–Made laws
for the common people
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Dictator– In times of
crisis– In power
for only 6 months
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Roman army–Responsible for much of
Rome’s success•All landowners must serve•Highly organized:
– Legions: largest military unit
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•Page 157–With a partner, answer
questions #1 and 2 that go with the chart “Comparing Republican Governments”
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
•By 265 B.C. Rome had conquered most of Italy– Latins became full citizens–Conquered people had all rights of
citizens except the vote
•Why do you think the Romans gave full citizens to conquered people living close to Rome?
The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic
• Rome’s only enemy was Carthage (pg. 159)– Punic Wars (264-
146 B.C.):•Rome vs. Carthage•Hannibal: famous
general of Carthage led a massive attack through Spain to Italian peninsula
•Finally defeated Carthage under General Scipio
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• What are the benefits of having a What are the benefits of having a single ruler in power?single ruler in power?
• What are the drawbacks?What are the drawbacks?
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• Problems in Roman Republic:Problems in Roman Republic:1. Rich/poor gap widened
– Poor totaled over half of population
2. Murders of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus– As tribunes, attempted to give more land to
the poor– Civil war began
3. Power-hungry military leaders– Recruited the poor by promising land
» Soldiers now felt allegiance to generals, not the republic
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• One military leader One military leader takes controltakes control
– Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey• Triumvirate: group of three
rulers• Won men’s loyalty because
he also fought in war• Served one year as consul,
then governor of Gaul
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• Becoming dictatorBecoming dictator– Success in Gaul gains Success in Gaul gains
popular supportpopular support• Pompey feared Caesar was
power-hungry, ordered him to disband his army
• Marched to Rome and the senate declared him “dictator for life”
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• Good absolutism?Good absolutism?– Had total power, but used it
to make reforms• Citizenship granted to
provinces• Expanded senate• Created jobs• Increased soldiers’ pay• Created regions where poor
could own property
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• Many feared Many feared Caesar’s power and Caesar’s power and popularitypopularity
– Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius plotted to kill him at the Senate
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• Second Triumvirate:Second Triumvirate:– Lepidus, Octavian, Marc
Antony• Octavian forced Lepidus to
retire and defeated Marc Antony/Cleopatra’s forces– Declared “Augustus”: exalted
one
• Pax Romana: 200-year period of peace1. Stable government
• Paid civil service
2. Stable economy• Agriculture- 90% of ppl worked in farming• Denarius- same coin throughout empire• Extensive network of roads
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
• Roman values• Gravitas: Strength, loyalty, usefulness, power,
and discipline
The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire
Assignment• Sections 3-4 worksheet
• Extra Credit (10 pts):– Re-read pages 164-165 and read 166-167– Write a short story (one page) set in Rome. Choose a
character and a problem.• A person may be unable to afford the luxuries required for a
business banquet• A charioteer may need to win an important race• A poor child gets lost coming home from the Coliseum• A family is separated when Vesuvius erupts
ChristianityChristianity
Development, Teaching, and Spread of the
Religion
Rise of Christianity
• This religion grew out of Jewish traditions.– Jewish prophets predicted that a messiah, or
one anointed by Yahweh, would be sent to deliver the Jews from foreign rule
• Jesus, founder of Christianity
Rise of Christianity
• Gospels: written by the followers of Jesus, tell about the life of Jesus
Rise of Christianity
• Roman officials worried about Jesus’ popularity– They considered him to be a rebel
• Jesus was sentenced to die by crucifixion
Teachings of Jesus
• Monotheism– Believed in the Jewish God and the Ten
Commandments
• Placed less emphasis on law– More emphasis on compassion, forgiveness,
and equality of all people
• Taught with parables: short stories with simple moral lessons
Teachings of Jesus
• Bible: the holy book of Christianity– Includes all prophets of Torah and most
books of the Torah– Adds the New Testament, which includes the
Gospels and other books by Jesus’ followers
• Compared with Judaism, Christianity spread over far distances in a very short time
• This was due to a few factors:– Judaism is mostly an ethnic religion– Missionaries and martyrs– Appeal of Christianity
Spread of Christianity
Spread of Christianity
• Followers of Jesus were called “Christians”– Christ= Savior= messiah
• Missionaries were able to spread Jesus’ teachings by taking advantage of a peaceful time in the Roman empire, and also good roads were available
• Eventually, enough people were involved in Christianity that the Roman empire began to respond
• Christians were persecuted for not believing in the Roman gods
• Many Christians became martyrs: people who suffer or die for their beliefs
Spread of Christianity
• Widespread persecution continued until 313 AD– Emperor Constantine ended persecution of
Christians with an Edict of
tolerance– He converted on his deathbed
Spread of Christianity
ASSIGNMENT
• In-class:– Emperor’s Edict
• Homework:– Sections 4 and 5 worksheets
• How have people responded to difficult economic times and political uncertainty?
• Panic• Pessimism• Anxiety• Anger/blame
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire
• 180 AD is the end to Pax Romana– Economic problems:
1. Reached limit of expansion, lacked new resources
2. Raised taxes
3. Inflation: drop in value of money and rise in prices
4. Low harvests• Overworked soil• Warfare destroyed land
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire
• 180 AD is the end to Pax Romana
– Military and Political Problems:
1. Roman soldiers lost allegiance to Rome
2. Mercenaries: foreign soldiers who fought for money
3. People were less patriotic
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire
• Severely limited personal freedoms
• Doubled size of Roman army
• Set fixed prices on goods to control inflation
• Claimed descent from Roman gods
• Split the empire in two– Greek East– Latin West
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire
Emperor Diocletian’s reforms:
• Emperor Constantine’s Reforms– Re-united East and West– Moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium
• Why this city? (pg. 175)• Renamed Constantinople• Shifted power of empire to East
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire
• Fall of the West– Germanic invasions
• Attila the Hun• “barbarians” sacked Rome in 410 and 476 AD
– Romulus Augustulus was the last emperor of Rome
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire
• East becomes the Byzantine Empire
Fall of the Roman EmpireFall of the Roman Empire