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Classics: Ancient History - Essay Planning

A2 - ROME

HOW FAR DO THE SOURCES SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT THE SENATE FAILED TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES FACING THE ROMAN REPUBLIC?

WHAT TOPIC(S) DOES THIS QUESTION FALL UNDER?

o Challenges made by these individuals & factions to the authority of the Senate, and the various responses to emergencies
 - changing distribution of power
 - importance of individuals
 - violence as a political tool
 - growing importance of plebs & their demands

WHAT IS RELEVANT TO THAT TOPIC?

o Sulla & Caesar's dictatorship
 - unprecedented power of Pompey & other militarians
o Social unrest within Rome
 - increase of violence (especially in the 50s BC)
o Risk of Civil War
o Campaigns (against Spartacus, Pirates, etc.)
o Ambitons of Individuals and the threats they posed to the Senate (Sulla, Pompey, Caesar, etc.)

WHAT SOURCES HAVE I DECIDED TO USE AND WHY?

o in Catilinam, II, 18 (Cicero's Speeches) - novae tabulae (63 BC)
o Life of Sulla, 33 (Plutarch) - Sulla granted dictatorship (81 BC)
o Life of Sulla, 34 (Plutarch) - Sulla resigned dictatorship (81 BC)
o 'Build up to Civil War' (Appian) - Senate wanted to make Pompey dictator but Cato proposed sole-consulship instead (52 BC)
o Life of Caesar, 'Snippets' (Plutarch) - Caesar's dictatorship may give Rome respite from Civil War (46 BC)
o 'In 46 BC' (Cicero's Letters) - "We are his slaves but he is a slave of the times" (46 BC)
o Life of Lucullus, 'Snippets' (Plutarch) - Debt enforced by publicani
o Life of Crassus, 8 (Plutarch) -

WHAT DOES THE MARK SCHEME SAY?

Possible examples of challenges:

o Illegal / Unconstitutional Acts /  Behaviour
 - Pompey's special commands (70s BC)
 - Pompey's consulship (70 BC)
 - Caesar's consulship
 - illegal consulship of Octavian
o Use of Violence / Military Force to gain Demands
 - Lepidus
 - Pompey (70s & 60s BC)
 - Catiline's conspiracy
 - use of veterans by Caesar
 - Clodius' tribunate, etc. (50s)
 - use of force & threats by Octavian & Antony
 - Civil War
o Corruption & Bribery
 - corruption of the courts (failures of attempts to reform)
 - corruption in the provinces
 - political alliances (1st & 2nd Triumvirate)
o Use of Popular Assemblies by Magistrates (Senators) for Personal Gain
 - manipulation of the constitution by individuals (Pompey, Caesar, Crassus, Octavian, etc.)
o Challenge of Sulla's Dictatorship & Reforms
 - senate's role in their success or failure

AO1:

o Dictatorship (Plutarch, Sulla 33)
o Summary of the problems caused by Sulla, Pompey etc. (Tacitus, Histories 2.38)
o Reforms (Appian, 1.100)
o Lepidus (Appian, 1.107)
o Pompey's letter to the senate 75 BC (Sallust, Histories 2.98)
o Consulship (Appian, 1.121)
o Courts (Cicero, Verres 1 37ff)
o Lex Gabinia (Plutarch, Pompey 25)
o Lex Manilia (Plutarch, Pompey 30)
o Rullus land bill (Cicero, de lege agraria 1.22ff)
o Senate's actions for the 63 BC Catilinarian conspiracy approved (Cicero | Sallust)
o Senate's problems with equites, Pompey, Crssus etc (Cicero's letters to Atticus 1..17/19)
 - cf. (Dio Cassiius 38 12-13)
o Honours (Suetonius, the Deified Julius 76, 78-80)
o Octavian's view on the Sentate (Res Gestae)
o Cynical view on the Senate (Tacitus, Annals 1.1-2)
 - other views on the Senate (Dio Cassius | Velleius Paterculus | Appian)

AO2:

Responses to the Question should:
o Develop the nature of the challenges & the effectiveness of the ways in which the senate dealt with them
o Deal with the extent to which the evidence supports the view in the question
o Present some attempt at evaluation of the sources in terms of the question
o Show some balance in the argument in order to get higher marks
 - comparison & contradictions of information and / or evidence should be rewarded

Responses to the Question might:
o Consider that the senate did act effectively OR take an alternative view
 - well-organised arguments supported by factual knowledge and / or evidence should be rewarded

WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE BETTER?
~ here's a link to my essay ~

General Feedbackn (for whole class) from my Teacher:
o More examples
o Too much on Pompey
 - extraordinary commads NOT just pirates plus consulships
 - pirates in ...
o Corruption / bribery in the senate / courts
o Dates

Personal Stats:
o Examples - 35
o Dates - 25
o Different Sources - 26

Self-Evaluation:
o Assess reliability more
o Collaborate / contrast evidence
o Ensure my argument is as clear as it can be - DON'T ramble
o Set out a structure for my essay before I begin
o DON'T use 'I'
o Use more sources from the end of the period (late 40s / 30s BC)
o Avoid 'particularly' and 'this is' and use a wider variety of conjunctions
o Use more individuals to demonstrate my point

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