Book Review Roman Republic
THE ROMAN REPUBLIC: A Very Short Introduction by David M. Gwynn The history of the Roman Republic is a popular and relatively familiar subject, the setting of numerous movies and several Shakespeare plays. That history made a deep impression on the Republics that arose in the Renaissance and on the founders of the United States. A small and rather nondescript city in Italy somehow conquered the entire Mediterranean world over 700 years or so and then destroyed itself in an orgy of internal strife. Like the founders of our Republic, citizens of the world’s republics today should ponder the lessons of Rome’s successes and catastrophic collapse. David M. Gwynn’s brief history is much more interested in the internal dynamics of the Republic than in Rome’s battles and wars. The armies of the Republic were initially citizen armies, led by the Senatorial classes and manned by small citizen farmers. After Rome deposed its Kings, power was initially wiel...