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In 52BC, an ambitious Roman general - Julius Caesar - motivated by a selfish desire for glory and money, conquered Gaul; slaughtering, subjugating, and enslaving millions. His conquest succeeded not only in expanding the Roman Republic, but in winning him that fame and glory he so desired.
The people - dissillusioned with Roman politics - were enamoured with Caesar’s glory and loved him. And so, the state - threatened by this general’s immense power - declared him an enemy. Three years after his conquest, Caesar famously marched his army over the Rubicon river and seized power; declraing himself dictator for life and passing sweeping reforms to grant himself absolute power.
In 44BC, Caesat was assasinated by members of the senate, who believed they could restore democracy and save the Roman Republic. But Caesar’s reforms and his support amongst the people were too strong. Rome would never recover, the Republic was dead, and the Empire began its slow decline into nothing.
Caesar’s story is tragic. A power-hungry man seizes control of a democratic republic for selfish gain all with a mandate from the people. Caesar destroyed the Roman Republic, but the people wanted it. He promised them money and power and, for the most part, he succeeded. What followed was an intense personality cult where Caesar was worshipped as a god and those who sought to protect Rome’s laws and institutions were portrayed as elitist demons.
This sentiment damaged the state beyond repair and is the first case of what would become known as Caesarism.
Sources:
Casper, G., 2007. Caesarism in democratic politics: reflections on Max Weber. Available at SSRN 1032647.
Ervasti, H., Kouvo, A. and Venetoklis, T., 2019. Social and institutional trust in times of crisis: Greece, 2002–2011. Social Indicators Research, 141, pp.1207-1231.
Grechyna, D., 2016. On the determinants of political polarization. Economics Letters, 144, pp.10-14
