The Roman Republic is often romanticized as a stable and free society, tragically ended by Julius Caesar's dictatorship and his assassination by concerned senators. This act, intended to save the Republic, ironically hastened its fall, leading to civil war and the rise of the first Emperor, Octavian.
The obvious sci-fi (fantasy, really) republic is "The Republic" in Star Wars, which slides into dictatorship after Palpatine creates a fake war and uses it to usurp power from its senate. After about 20 years, he dissolves the senate at the beginning of Star Wars or Part IV as the kids call it. While I'm not a huge fan of Lucas' writing in general, he doe a decent job of representing this, you just need to be able to stay awake during the prequels, something I've yet to manage during "Attack of the Clones."
IIRC, the Expanse books have a republic of sorts on Earth, and the tv series stays at least mostly faithful to that aspect of the story. It's been a while since I read the first couple of books.
Good example w/the Expanse. The show does a good job of representing this tension, too.
And yeah, of course Star Wars is just too easy! But I honestly thought the worldbuilding they did in the prequels was really helpful/good/well executed. I didn't enjoy large swaths of those films, but the political buildup was a nice touch.
Great history lesson, thank you! I hadn’t heard about the Romulus founding legend. Fascinating to see how inequality, today’s most salient economic issue, has actually been something humans have been wrestling with since we first created societies. Feels like the republic is once again falling toward authoritarian rule.
Dec 1, 2023·edited Dec 1, 2023Liked by Andrew Smith
I would say it wasn't Caesar but rather Marian reforms and the rise of Sulla is what dealt a fatal blow to the Republic. When Caesar took charge as dictator for life, the semblance of republic was gone barring the minds of a few families such as Brutus'.
So many times when people talk about the fragility of our own Republic they use the Romans as an example. You’ve deepened my understanding of those parallels.
Fortunately, nowadays we no longer have countries invading other countries under the pretext of "self-defense," because we fixed everything! Thanks, Google!
The obvious sci-fi (fantasy, really) republic is "The Republic" in Star Wars, which slides into dictatorship after Palpatine creates a fake war and uses it to usurp power from its senate. After about 20 years, he dissolves the senate at the beginning of Star Wars or Part IV as the kids call it. While I'm not a huge fan of Lucas' writing in general, he doe a decent job of representing this, you just need to be able to stay awake during the prequels, something I've yet to manage during "Attack of the Clones."
IIRC, the Expanse books have a republic of sorts on Earth, and the tv series stays at least mostly faithful to that aspect of the story. It's been a while since I read the first couple of books.
Good example w/the Expanse. The show does a good job of representing this tension, too.
And yeah, of course Star Wars is just too easy! But I honestly thought the worldbuilding they did in the prequels was really helpful/good/well executed. I didn't enjoy large swaths of those films, but the political buildup was a nice touch.
Great history lesson, thank you! I hadn’t heard about the Romulus founding legend. Fascinating to see how inequality, today’s most salient economic issue, has actually been something humans have been wrestling with since we first created societies. Feels like the republic is once again falling toward authoritarian rule.
History rhymes, for sure. I am glad you're here to think about this stuff with me!
It’s interesting that both the Romans and the Jews have fratricide as an origin story.
Let me know if you ever want to write something on this. It's not only the Romans and the Jews, either.
Great read. Your theme mirrors events taking place globally, the endless struggle between the rich and not-so-rich.
I hope we can learn from studying the past, since there are always so many similarities with the present. Glad you enjoyed this one!
I would say it wasn't Caesar but rather Marian reforms and the rise of Sulla is what dealt a fatal blow to the Republic. When Caesar took charge as dictator for life, the semblance of republic was gone barring the minds of a few families such as Brutus'.
Yet another great read Andy!
Great points about Marius, and especially Sulla! This was a long time coming, and it did not happen in a vacuum.
We have not. Loyalty to party is more important than loyalty to humanity or country.
But only for something less than half of us. I think. I hope. Correct?
The piece has been written:
https://stirlingnewberry.substack.com/p/who-said-there-was-a-great-salt-lake
"This division of class and wealth weren’t bugs of the Republic; they were features."
That is modern poetry in prose.
Reading you is good for my brain. Your commentators add to that.
Thanks, Brad! This means a ton to hear. I really want to spark thoughtful dialogue, and I'm glad you're here.
So many times when people talk about the fragility of our own Republic they use the Romans as an example. You’ve deepened my understanding of those parallels.
Dee, that's high praise, my friend! I really appreciate it, and I'm glad to hear it.
Thinking about the cyclical nature of human experience has led me to continue revisiting our past like this. I think that's wise.
Fortunately, nowadays we no longer have countries invading other countries under the pretext of "self-defense," because we fixed everything! Thanks, Google!