With Their Susceptibility To Demagogy Are The Romans Capable And Worthy Of Living In A Republic? Essay, Research Paper

?I am not a crook? ? Former President Richard Nixon

?I did not have sexual relations with that women? ? President Bill Clinton

Perhaps two of the most famous quotes coming from democratically elected chiefs of staff in the most famous and powerful republic in the world. The United States of America spreads information much more accurately, efficiently and wisely than the Romans at the time of Caesar?s assassination ever could have imagined possible. Yet, we, as Americans elected and reelected men who committed horrible deeds, not once but now twice as our leader. Therefore, the reasons that Rome was deserving of a republic are that denying them that would contradict the beginnings and bests of American values and the results of a non-republic would be even more disastrous.

Mentioning just those two presidents ignores common knowledge of thousands of elected leaders, administrators, coaches, companies etc., that people have picked to do a very important job by the people only to have that person or persons not fulfill expectations or requirements. Further proving that we, as the deciding and self-governing American citizens we are, do not always make the right choices. The greatest countries in the world, this one, was founded on the belief that people should always be represented and have their fair say and hundreds of thousands of patriots died believing this. Hundreds of countries and billions of people have since followed our example and our ideals.

Furthermore, the mention of demagogy is completely irrelevant. Demagogy is by far the most commonly used political tactic today, everything a political office holder to be says depends upon what his/her most recent pole of voters says. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the apple does not fall far from the tree with the elected leaders. The mob of people may have appeared very stupid but the leaders and conspirators are most definitely not without their faults. They are very gullible in believing Marc Antony wishes to be their friend after Caesar?s death and Caesar instantly believes the explanation of Calpurinia?s dream by Decius. Also, the most common and beloved spice for a nobleman, such as the ones in this play, at the time was lead.

Did the Romans want a republic? Arguably no considering their thrice offering of the crown to Caesar. However, this was actually the act of a republic and the people voting for their great new leader, as we do every four years. Argue that a president does not last forever, as Caesar?s crown would have. But any president before the great comings of Franklin Delano Roosevelt had the possibility to remain in the White House for life had he wanted to. George Washington could have won landslide victories for the presidency if not for his own retirement and the pre-mentioned FDR was elected to an astounding four terms before he succumbed to polio that crippled him towards the end of his presidency.

Disregarding Caesar?s era, would Rome have been better off with a monarchy in place of a republic that consisted of two head consuls in place of a king? In fact, during times of great despair and trouble a dictator was temporarily put into position. Considering that the Romans were awfully successful with their elected leaders, controlling parts of Europe, Asia and Africa for thousands of years, there does not appear to have been too big a problem.

Perhaps the biggest problem in these Roman mobs was not demagogy but bandwagoning. In Conclusion, the Romans, nobles and mobs, were capable and worthy of living in a republic just by the fact they are humans with their unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.