Hello, and welcome to the history of Rome, Episode 35, Crasse's, and Pompi.

In 78 BC, Lucius Cornelius Solid died, believing that he had put the Republic back on track.

Since the end of the Third Punic War 80 years previously, Roman politics had skewed more

and more towards populous demagogues, blatant corruption, and a flouting of traditional virtue.

Sulla, in his role as a dictator, had gutted the power of the tribunes and put the Senate

firmly back in control of state affairs.

It is ironic that the supposed savior of republicanism had so completely assured democratic

principles in the rule of law, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Besides, Sulla could always fall back on one of the first offenses a child ever learns

to justify all of his extralegal activities, Mario started it.

But as I said at the end of last week's episode, no amount of constitutional reformation

could divert the gaze of ambitious men from the facts of Sulla's life and the power he

had won through brute force alone.

Whatever had found the leaders of Rome to the traditional republican governing apparatus

and its built-in limits on absolute power had been shattered.

The Grocci had struck the first blow when they successfully introduced violence into

the political arena.

Mario's hammered the point home when he brazenly stood for consulship after consulship.

While Sulla himself landed the killing stroke when he had himself appointed dictator for

life.

The era of noble adherence to the rule of law was dead.

The era of the naked power grab was at hand.

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