Reforms By Gaius Marius: The Decline Of The Late Roman Republic

The reforms by Gaius Marius, was originally intended to give power to the Republic by upgrading Rome’s military, but it backfired causing substantial political impact which caused long term problems all leading up to the decline of the late Roman Republic. There was a major recruitment problem which came from public land being bought off by powerful groups from the senate around 180 BC to 170 BC. They used this land to produce cash crops from farm slaves. Being a part of the military was more of a privilege than anything. Only certain people could enlist and battle arms was not provided, but land rewards made people have a will to fight anyway. These are just the few out of many problems Marius had to face during his reforms.
Gaius Marius’ reforms of the military created many more problems for the entire Roman Republic than other attacking rivals ever did. They were originally intended to give power to the Republic by upgrading Rome’s military, but it backfired causing substantial political impact which caused long term problems all leading up to the decline of the late Roman Republic. The decline, …show more content…
There was a major recruitment problem which came from public land being bought off by powerful groups from the senate around 180 BC to 170 BC. They used this land to produce cash crops from farm slaves. Being a part of the military was more of a privilege than anything. Only certain people could enlist and battle arms was not provided, but land rewards made people have a will to fight anyway. Marius died in 86 BC, he still yet scrambled for power. His reforms had saved Rome from many foreign invaders, but not himself. He was an innovative general who forged the tool which made civil war a reality for the next 500