Throughout history there have been many examples of people of power abusing the power they were given. Some of the most prominent were in ancient times. In the Roman Empire, as power changed from one hand to another, the abuse would range from very minor to the people fearing being randomly stabbed by their emperor. Some of the best examples of power abuse of the first century were known for randomly stabbing the citizens, matricide, forcing others to pay for their extravagance and killing a war hero.
In the time of the Roman Empire, the vast land was ruled by emperors. Emperors had absolute power, meaning that they could do anything they needed to or wanted to without having to go through checks and balances like one would have to in a democracy. …show more content…
Emperor Gaius Germanicus, better known as Caligula, was the third emperor of the new century and the heir of Tiberius. Caligula came from a hard past. As the son of Germanicus, he had to witness the murder of his brothers and the exile of his mother and sister. Caligula’s reign began as a welcome change of pace after the absence of Tiberius and the cruelty of Sejanus, however, according to BBC, things did not stay as satisfactory in years to come. After just seven months into his reign, Caligula became ill. After he recovered, his winds of change became the beginning of a tyrannical reign. After his illness, he “encouraged treason trials for his own financial benefit.” (BBC). This demonstrates that Caligula was willing to do anything for some extra money, but it doesn't stop there. According to PBS, Caligula was very careless in his expenditures. “ His extravagance soon emptied Rome’s treasury, which Tiberius had greatly increased. Still spending, but now short of cash, he began blackmailing leading Roman families and confiscating their estates.” Caligula knew that if he still wanted to spend lavish amounts of money, he would have to find money to spend. He knew he could do and say whatever he wished to get the land from wealthy citizens, so that is exactly what he did. If killing people for money and forcing people in to homelessness wasn’t cruel enough, he would …show more content…
Someone who is trying to display their power would not decide to randomly kill a priest in the case of Caligula, or sing while their empire burned down as Nero did. These emperors proved that when given absolute power, many people cannot go without abusing it. They would kill and cheat with their power so that they could have the best life possible with no thought or considerations of what the citizens may think.
There are many examples of power abuse in history, however, some of the best examples are from the Roman Empire, such as Nero, Caligula and Tiberius. All three of them used power in cruel ways for their own benefit. They tried to represent a flourishing empire, yet failed to represent the overall morals of the empire. In modern times there are no emperors, yet the citizens of the world are not safe from the abuse of the authority
In the time of the Roman Empire, the vast land was ruled by emperors. Emperors had absolute power, meaning that they could do anything they needed to or wanted to without having to go through checks and balances like one would have to in a democracy. …show more content…
Emperor Gaius Germanicus, better known as Caligula, was the third emperor of the new century and the heir of Tiberius. Caligula came from a hard past. As the son of Germanicus, he had to witness the murder of his brothers and the exile of his mother and sister. Caligula’s reign began as a welcome change of pace after the absence of Tiberius and the cruelty of Sejanus, however, according to BBC, things did not stay as satisfactory in years to come. After just seven months into his reign, Caligula became ill. After he recovered, his winds of change became the beginning of a tyrannical reign. After his illness, he “encouraged treason trials for his own financial benefit.” (BBC). This demonstrates that Caligula was willing to do anything for some extra money, but it doesn't stop there. According to PBS, Caligula was very careless in his expenditures. “ His extravagance soon emptied Rome’s treasury, which Tiberius had greatly increased. Still spending, but now short of cash, he began blackmailing leading Roman families and confiscating their estates.” Caligula knew that if he still wanted to spend lavish amounts of money, he would have to find money to spend. He knew he could do and say whatever he wished to get the land from wealthy citizens, so that is exactly what he did. If killing people for money and forcing people in to homelessness wasn’t cruel enough, he would …show more content…
Someone who is trying to display their power would not decide to randomly kill a priest in the case of Caligula, or sing while their empire burned down as Nero did. These emperors proved that when given absolute power, many people cannot go without abusing it. They would kill and cheat with their power so that they could have the best life possible with no thought or considerations of what the citizens may think.
There are many examples of power abuse in history, however, some of the best examples are from the Roman Empire, such as Nero, Caligula and Tiberius. All three of them used power in cruel ways for their own benefit. They tried to represent a flourishing empire, yet failed to represent the overall morals of the empire. In modern times there are no emperors, yet the citizens of the world are not safe from the abuse of the authority