Roman Imperialism and Its Consequences

From the fifth to the third century B.C.E., the Romans fought war after war in Italy until Rome became the most powerful state on the peninsula. In the third and second centuries B.C.E., Romans warred far from home in every direction, above all against Carthage across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Their success in these campaigns made Rome the premier power in the Mediterranean by the first century B.C.E.

Fear of enemies and the desire for wealth propelled this Roman imperialism, as modern scholars tend to label the process of expansion of Rome’s power internationally. The senators’ worries about national security spurred them to recommend preemptive attacks against foreign powers. Poor soldiers hoped to pull their families out of poverty; the elite, who commanded the armies, wanted to strengthen their campaigns for office by acquiring glory and greater wealth.

The state of being at war transformed Roman life. Romans had no literature until around 240 B.C.E., when contact with conquered peoples stimulated their first written history and poetry. War’s harshness also influenced Roman art. Repeated military service away from home created stresses on small farmers and undermined the stability of Roman society; so, too, did the relocation of numerous citizens and the importation of countless war captives to work as slaves on wealthy people’s estates. Rome’s great conquests turned out to be a double-edged sword: they brought expansion and wealth, but their unexpected social and political consequences disrupted the traditional values and stability of the community.