Roman Empire: A Success Story

A century ago, Roman Empire represented a success story for imperialist Britain as well as other European states with imperial ambitions. The Roman story of conquest was imitated, but never fully matched or even replicated. The dream that an imperial empire could not only conquer, but also create a Pax Romana, a vast area of peace, prosperity, and unity was a genuine inspiration for other empires. No other empire was capable of having such a successful reign of power, control, and satisfaction among their people as the Roman Empire did.

The Roman Empire was so successful because of roman dominance in warfare and the stable structure of politics. The empire was impressive because the Romans were very practical and well organized people, they were ambitious and aggressive in obtaining anything the Romans craved. All Roman ideas primarily derived from other cultures, but they always took the ideas to the next level and were the best at everything they approached. The Romans lived to achieve a standard of excellence and were never satisfied with what they had already achieved and always sought to improve.

Early Rome was indeed governed by kings, but after a few had ruled the Romans managed to take power of their own cities and rule themselves. The Romans established the senate better referred to as the Roman Republic, “before the senate only advised the king, but now the senate appointed a representative who would rule Rome as a king”. (PAPAIOANNOU 209) The newly established system was very unique and a wise idea because the representative ruled carefully and not as a tyrant, because he was well aware if he did otherwise he would be punished by the next representative. From this point on the Roman Empire attempted to address all public matters or matters of the state, eventually leading to an era of peace and prosperity.

The five good emperors were known for their reasonable policies, in contrast to other more tyrannical and harsh rulers. This period was particularly notable for the peaceful methods of progression, whereas each emperor chose his successor by adopting one. As the Empire was both secure from interior and exterior threats, the Romans prospered under a period of peace often referred to as the Pax Romana or Roman Peace.

One major factor contributing to Rome’s very successful territorial expansion was the superior military authority, which was the main influential factor that guaranteed Roman power for nearly a thousand years. The Romans had several advantages such as rapid developments of the latest technology, vast numbers of infantry, along with a stable senate system, and much wealth to fuel Roman ambitions. Not only were the Romans very powerful, they were also a very well developed community consisting of sewers to control waste, aqueducts for plumbing, and paved roads for transportation. Roman advancements in technology and geographical modifications were very superior to other nations at the times because other nations simply did not have the same commodities.

The Roman military system was not fueled by one type of military but by various types which provided the Roman Empire with a large assortment of choices when it came to battle. The Roman army usually consisted of Hastati, Principe’s or Legionary Cohorts whom were very useful marvelous soldiers. Rome used their absolute force to overwhelm most enemies and often used tactical strategies that allowed them to cave in on enemy flanks causing a very rapid ambush. The Roman Army had access to exceptional horses as well as a mixture of troops which were mainly a deciding factor in conflict.

One of the most astonishing features of the Roman Empire was the complete diversity of the geographical and cultural landscapes the Romans controlled. Vast regional differences did indeed continue, but there was little sense that emperors felt obligated to promote or protect them. The unity of the empire laid in a combination of factors that were depended on common values, many of which were considered to be cultural.

The fall of the Roman Empire was in the end a result of Rome being overrun by many barbarians from the northern and eastern of Europe. The great migration proved too much for the Romans to control considering that Roman armies were designed to defeat other armies, not entire folks and peoples flooding toward them. Sadly, as the Roman Empire was stabilizing itself in an era of complete peace and prosperity, the empire had to come to an end which was marked when Rome was conquered by the “Visigoth Odoacer and his men in the year AD 476.” (Prufer 72)

The Roman Empire was a magnificent and impressive empire that was essentially progressing towards a nation similar to that of early 18th century America. The Romans provided Europe with the ideology of Christianity which influenced the events that were to precede in the future events that have changed the world today. The Romans will be looked upon for their beliefs, attitudes, values, and initiative being nearly impossible to emulate by other nations. In reality, the Roman Empire has very little relevance or connection to modern America, but just to lay both Imperial nations side by side, the goals achieved by the Roman Empire are significantly impressive. The time period is completely different, as the cultures, way of life, economy, and war. To compare the United States to Rome is ludicrous because they have nothing in common.

Despite the fact that the Roman Empire may be viewed as nothing more than a sheer force attempting to acquire a vast majority of land, society should not turn its shoulder to the glorious achievements of the Romans. In a sense the Roman Empire served as an influential force often encouraging a replication of vast territorial conquerization, which led to the establishment of various new territories. However it not the vast majority of land that the Roman Empire obtained and managed to keep control over that is impressive, rather the development of a peaceful era with a mildly democratic government which allowed the election of their representatives. Hopefully everyone can look beyond the Roman’s cruelty and grasp a taste of the glorious era spurred by the Pax Romana.