Ancient Empires: Caesar Rebuilds The Roman Republic | Exclusive | History

Caesar has the Senate declare him dictator. At this point, the Senate has no fight left in it. Caesar has won. Dictator is a form of exceptional power that was supposed to be temporary. Caesar is using this as a fig leaf to hide the fact that there are no limits to his influence and power. Caesar now uses his unprecedented power to pass reforms he thinks are needed to transform a crumbling republic. Caesar believes that the Roman Republic cannot function anymore because it was set up to rule over a small city, and they are now ruling over a vast empire. The forms of government in the Republic simply can't manage this. Caesar has come to the conclusion that the only way to save the Republic is to fundamentally destroy and rebuild it. He needs to create a new system centered around him. No longer will there be open elections, optimates, and populares. Now there will only be Caesar's will. While this benefits Caesar, in his mind, it also benefits Rome. It enables Rome to transform from a crumbling, decaying, corrupt republic to a staggering international empire. Caesar doesn't just rebuild Rome's systems of government. He physically rebuilds the city. Caesar begins a massive rebuilding of Rome. He builds libraries. He builds a new forum named after him. This building project provides thousands of jobs for Roman citizens and glorifies the city as it has never been glorified before. The people love him for it. Some of Caesar's reforms still shape the world today. Caesar puts into effect probably the greatest calendar reform the Western world will ever have. Rome had been using the lunar calendar, and the months were out of sync. Rome goes to the solar calendar, the so-called Julian calendar. It is basically the calendar that we in the West still use today. But Caesar is ultimately more interested in power than reform. As Caesar's power grows, he looks for new ways to display that publicly, to legitimate his new role. Caesar wears a purple robe whenever he pleases. Now, this is significant because purple is the color of royalty. Caesar has his dictatorship extended in perpetuity. He will now rule as a sole ruler for life. Caesar now has greater power than the man he hated and ran away from, the dictator Sulla. For a guy who claims to be a popularis, for someone who stands up for the little guy, now he begins to lose his mind with hubris. This was a man who used to be a reformer, and now he just wants absolute power. Caesar has always been a popularis in name only. He is not interested in improving the lot of the people. The people were always just a means to an end. You're sure this is the right thing to do? I'm the most powerful man Rome has ever seen. It's time to make it official. Long-serving senators might not take well to it. Even Sulla was careful with them, not to make them feel disrespected. I'll do nothing. I owe me their lives. But the Republic... I am the Republic. With each success, Caesar's ambitions grow. What else is there than Rome and the power of ruling Rome? There hasn't been a king for 400 years. Could he possibly even become a king? It's a gamble. Yes. But you forget, you never lose.