Gregory Aldrete

But almost every group that composes it feels like I haven't shared in the benefits of what's happened or I've been exploited by it. So they all end up intensely unhappy. And the next 100-year period from 133 to 31 BC is called the Late Roman Republic. And it's a time of nearly constant internal strife, ultimately culminating in multiple rounds of civil war.

So Roman society literally breaks apart, turns on itself, and goes to war with itself over not equitably sharing the benefits of conquest and of empire. So it's a lesson about not sharing the benefits of something in a society but concentrating it in one little group. And the other thing that happens is among the aristocrats, they start to get more and more ambitious.

So Roman society literally breaks apart, turns on itself, and goes to war with itself over not equitably sharing the benefits of conquest and of empire. So it's a lesson about not sharing the benefits of something in a society but concentrating it in one little group. And the other thing that happens is among the aristocrats, they start to get more and more ambitious.

So Roman society literally breaks apart, turns on itself, and goes to war with itself over not equitably sharing the benefits of conquest and of empire. So it's a lesson about not sharing the benefits of something in a society but concentrating it in one little group. And the other thing that happens is among the aristocrats, they start to get more and more ambitious.

So in the past, there was a lot of ideology of the state is more important than the person. If you were a little Roman kid, you would have been told these stories of Roman heroes, and they're all about self-sacrifice, putting the state before you, about modesty, about these sort of values. Well, by the late Republic, you have a succession of strongmen. And it is a chain.

So in the past, there was a lot of ideology of the state is more important than the person. If you were a little Roman kid, you would have been told these stories of Roman heroes, and they're all about self-sacrifice, putting the state before you, about modesty, about these sort of values. Well, by the late Republic, you have a succession of strongmen. And it is a chain.

So in the past, there was a lot of ideology of the state is more important than the person. If you were a little Roman kid, you would have been told these stories of Roman heroes, and they're all about self-sacrifice, putting the state before you, about modesty, about these sort of values. Well, by the late Republic, you have a succession of strongmen. And it is a chain.

So it goes, you know, Marius, Sully, Pompey, Julius Caesar, where each one pushes the boundaries of the Roman Republic a little bit, pushes at the structures of the institutions of the republic, and they're motivated by personal gain. They're putting themselves above the state.

So it goes, you know, Marius, Sully, Pompey, Julius Caesar, where each one pushes the boundaries of the Roman Republic a little bit, pushes at the structures of the institutions of the republic, and they're motivated by personal gain. They're putting themselves above the state.

So it goes, you know, Marius, Sully, Pompey, Julius Caesar, where each one pushes the boundaries of the Roman Republic a little bit, pushes at the structures of the institutions of the republic, and they're motivated by personal gain. They're putting themselves above the state.

So at the same time, you have lots of groups unhappy in society and you get these strong men who are now undermining the institutions, chipping away at the things that have been shared, things holding the state together. And in the end, they just become so ambitious. They're like, I don't care about the state. I'm going to try and make myself ruler of Rome.

So at the same time, you have lots of groups unhappy in society and you get these strong men who are now undermining the institutions, chipping away at the things that have been shared, things holding the state together. And in the end, they just become so ambitious. They're like, I don't care about the state. I'm going to try and make myself ruler of Rome.

So at the same time, you have lots of groups unhappy in society and you get these strong men who are now undermining the institutions, chipping away at the things that have been shared, things holding the state together. And in the end, they just become so ambitious. They're like, I don't care about the state. I'm going to try and make myself ruler of Rome.

So, I mean, this is going to culminate, obviously, in Julius Caesar, who does succeed in making himself dictator for life of the Roman Republic, which is tantamount to king, and he gets assassinated for it. But he's the endpoint of this progression of people who really undermine the institutions of the Republic through their own personal greed.

So, I mean, this is going to culminate, obviously, in Julius Caesar, who does succeed in making himself dictator for life of the Roman Republic, which is tantamount to king, and he gets assassinated for it. But he's the endpoint of this progression of people who really undermine the institutions of the Republic through their own personal greed.

So, I mean, this is going to culminate, obviously, in Julius Caesar, who does succeed in making himself dictator for life of the Roman Republic, which is tantamount to king, and he gets assassinated for it. But he's the endpoint of this progression of people who really undermine the institutions of the Republic through their own personal greed.

And they exploit it. They're demagogues. Yeah.

And they exploit it. They're demagogues. Yeah.

And they exploit it. They're demagogues. Yeah.

Well, I mean, it's a love-hate because Caesar is very successful at playing to the Roman people. So he becomes their hero where he says, you know, I'll be your champion against the state who doesn't care about you. You know, so Caesar will do things where he'll put on big shows for the people. And it's cynical. I mean, he's doing this to further his own political power.