WMHSMUN XXXIV Senate of the Late Roman Republic, 60 BCE Background Guide “Unprecedented committees. Unparalleled debate. Unmatched fun.” Letters From the Directors Dear Delegates, Hello everyone, and welcome to WMHSMUN XXXIV! My name is Joe Barry. I am a junior here at William and Mary. I am majoring in Data Science, with a minor in Physics. I grew up on Long Island in New York. Over quarantine, I tried to teach myself how to play guitar and speak French, to varying degrees of success. I’m in the Wind Ensemble here on campus. Although I am not in the International Relations Club here, I’ve been staffing conferences since my freshman year. In my experience, crisis committees are always more fun, and I think the topic we have is perfect for it. I started participating in Model UN my sophomore year in high school. I was always interested in politics and international relations but hadn’t heard much of Model UN until my friend roped me into applying for a conference, for which I had no idea what to expect. I assume this is a similar situation to the one all of you are in. Rest assured; we’ve prepared what we hope is a fun and interesting introduction to MUN, which you all I’m sure will enjoy. While our committee is titled Senate of the Late Roman Republic, many of you are representing powerful figures in the Western World at large—from the King of the Parthian Empire to Augustus Caesar. Each of these delegates will have unique powers and motivations. Those qualities will be important, as our great Republic is coming to the most pivotal point in its storied history. we are faced with the difficult task of preserving the republic in its current state, committed to the careful balance of power which has been the backbone of our prosperous city. Threats to its safety include power-hungry statesmen who seek to dismantle our constitution and recreate as they see fit. While the Republic has been able to ward off these threats in the past, the powerful general Julius Caesar may be the next to challenge the Senate. The future of our great Republic may rest in our ability to traverse these threats. If any of you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. Joe Barry [email protected] Background Guide – Senate of the Late Roman Republic Dear Delegates, Ave! My name is Will Stubner, and I’m very excited to be your crisis director for the Late Roman Republic committee. I am currently a sophomore at William and Mary in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying International Relations and Arabic. I have been doing Model UN for six years now, starting in my freshman year of high school. Outside of Model UN, I like to swim, run and beat my siblings in Monopoly, 2k or really any kind of game. I am also a cadet in the William and Mary ROTC Company, so if you have any questions about the program, I would be happy to answer them. I look forward to meeting you all in November and seeing how you lead the Roman Republic in its darkest hour. If you have any questions specifically about crisis, or the committee in general, I would be happy to answer them. You can reach me via email. Will Stubner [email protected] 2 Background Guide – Senate of the Late Roman Republic Introduction For hundreds of years, our great Roman Republic has been through a series of changes and reforms, but one constant has been a growth in size and prosperity. While this growth has spurned a great rise in wealth, this has been accompanied accordingly with a rise in conspiracy and corruption. In decades past, military leaders have used their wealth and power to take dictatorial power by force—abandoning the republican ideals our state was built on. Although these years are past, recent development of power in the hands of a few powerful men who make up what is called the triumvirate—Crassus, Pompey, and Julius Caesar—which once again threatened Rome. Although this alliance has broken down, the threat it presented is still present in the mind of any vigilant Roman. Today’s date is January 1st, 50 BC. As members of the Roman Senate and its allies, we are faced with the difficult task of preserving the republic in its current state, committed to the careful balance of power which has been the backbone of our prosperous city. While each of the delegates may have their own distinct motivations, the goal of our committee is self-preservation. Primarily, we need to be concerned about spurning the corruption which has run rampant throughout recent history. Elections to consulships are bought and sold. Despite the precedent of consuls serving for only one yearly term, we have seen some politicians serving as long as they please given that they have enough sway. Is there a solution we can present via our constitution which would maintain the decentralized power intended by our Senate? There is a more immediate threat looming which may put these institutional defenses to the test. Julius Caesar, a former consul currently governing the province of Gaul, has amassed an army whose strength may only be rivaled by his own ambition. At the moment this army is working on behalf of Rome to conquer the Celtic tribes of Gaul. Caesar may prove to be a polarizing figure; while he currently threatens Rome as it stands, there are some in the Senate who would benefit from his rise. The future of our great Republic may rest in our ability to traverse these threats. Topic 1: The Decline of the Roman Republic Introduction Ever since the expulsion of the last King of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, Rome has been a Republic. Tarqunius was a brutal ruler, who acquired a reputation for cruelty and tyranny. After his rule, Roman 3 Background Guide – Senate of the Late Roman Republic political culture has been dominated by the republican ideal that no one man should hold complete political power. While more egalitarian than most other ancient polities, Rome is not similar to modern democracies. Most of the power is held in the offices of the Consuls, who serve as executive officers in the Republic, and the Senate, a legislative body dominated by the wealthiest families of Rome, the Patricians. The Senate is responsible for most legislation. The masses of the Roman citizens represented by the Plebian Councils and Tribal Councils, two bodies made up exclusively of plebs, or commoners, who were not considered part of a noble house. By the time of the Late Roman Republic, these bodies had been rendered relatively toothless, with the bodies being dominated by Eques, men from traditionally Plebeian families who had risen to power and wealth in the Republic. Dysfunction, cronyism and corruption plague the Roman Republic, as the state has grown from a small collection of towns in central Italy to a polity that stretches from modern day Spain all the way to Syria and Turkey. An influx of slaves from conquered territories sent to work on farms and in mines throughout Italy has displaced many small hold farmers, leading to massive migrations to urban areas. By the early first century BC, Rome was the largest city in the world, with a population of more than one million. While the grain dole has prevented mass starvation and unrest in the city, many Romans of lower status have come to believe that the Republic no longer has their interests in mind, with a Senate dominated by large landowners, and consuls who ignore their supposedly co equal status with the Tribune of the Plebs to favor the massive slave run estates. The Gracchi Brothers and the Populares In 145 BC, 609 years after the founding of the city of Rome, The Roman Republic was at the height of its power. After vanquishing its longtime nemesis Carthage in the Third Punic War, Rome was unchallenged in the Mediterranean. Among the heroes of the war was a young soldier named Tiberius Gracchus. Born into a wealthy Plebeian family, Tiberius and his younger brother Gaius were both tireless advocates for the mostly unemployed urban poor who had been displaced by large landowners. They aimed to redistribute land throughout Italy and in Rome's new conquered territories, especially to soldiers. When Tiberius was elected Tribune of the Plebs in 133, he began a committee to redistribute land. The Senate however, led by the archconservative Optimaes faction, would not stand for this, as many of them were in fact large landowners. In a move that shocked the Roman political world, wealthy senators formed a mob that assassinated Tiberius Gracchus. This was the first instance of violence in Roman politics in almost 400 years. 4 Background Guide – Senate of the Late Roman Republic The Senate worked to cripple the land redistribution committee and was able to essentially stop most redistribution. Ten years later, his brother Gaius attempted to implement similar programs, along with a grain subsidy. After unconstitutionally winning a second consecutive year of Tribune of the Plebs, he committed suicide as a mob came to kill him. The death of the Gracchi Brothers deeply damaged the Roman political system, as urban violence, mob violence and politically motivated killings and exiles became increasingly common. The legacy of the Gracchi brothers lives on in the Populares movement, which champions the cause of the urban poor and soldiers. The Populares support land grants for soldiers, as well as advocating for progressive taxation and an expansion to the grain dole and other social services.