Hey, if you liked this video and want to spend more time obsessively thinking about the Roman Empire, check out these other videos! The Empire crashes and burns as soon as Augustus dies: ua-cam.com/video/UBfWzZiYxsI/v-deo.html Augustus' rival in the East goes on adventures with Cleopatra: ua-cam.com/video/EZYjOz7vzrk/v-deo.html Caesar and Pompey's civil war appears in this (very old) video: ua-cam.com/video/2GuglnMJdfc/v-deo.html Crassus and his firefighter cartel makes an appearance here: ua-cam.com/video/mpyux9pZO6c/v-deo.html This May I'll be showing a group of you around Japan, and the waitlist is still open! You'll be notified as soon as a spot becomes available, and it's the best way to learn about our next trip before anyone else! trovatrip.com/trip/asia/japan/japan-with-jack-rackam-may-2025
@JackRackam I really wanted to watch it, but I was put off immediately by the AI art at the start. It feels like you're better than that, plus the art style was kinda like bad mobile games and had Augustus looking like offbrand Jake Gyllenhaal. Felt like an intro I'd see on a channel with 20 subs that started a week ago, not an established respectable channel. You are better than that.
The thing to keep in mind is that all of this political chaos was mostly centered around *Rome* itself. A lot of stupid stuff can go on in the capitol so long as it doesn't spill out into the rest of the Empire. When it started to do so, that's when the problems started to get really severe.
@@Elijah.Ben.BENJAMIN54 Rome didn't start out evil. Rome was once the definition of incorruptable. During that period, Rome's most respected Hero's were individuals who resisted the temptations of the things that corrupt. It was common to find high politicians plowing their own fields, with their own hands, on their farm...during that era. It was common for politicians and diplomats to be unbribable during that era. And it was in this era that Rome went from a pipsweek to a superpower...then they had a war with Hannibal and ironically this caused the long slow end of Rome
You know, the more one studies about Rome, the more one is left with a paradoxical array of emotions: impressed by its lofty institutions and ideals, simultaneously disgusted by its corruption and brutality, then shocked that this entity (in one form or another) lasted from the Classical Era all the way to the late Medieval period, and left finally wondering, "How?! How did they last for so long?"
reminds me of WH40K's imperium of man in a way, the emperor's dream of imperium everlasting has been dead ever since the horus heresy, an in-universe civil war which after the fact the imperium has known nothing but corruption and stagnation. yet in spite of all that is against it, its kept alive by the bottom line of people toiling away to keep it going, and the fact that people were still trying to keep the failed imperium going is reason enough to keep trying Rome was a clusterfuck FAR before its collapse, but throughout its expansive history there were always people who in spite of how imperfect and flawed Rome was, really did want to keep it thriving and it is these people that allowed it to survive for over a thousand years
Proper organization. They recorded everything, created infrastructures and laws that would work for centuries. It took some real messed up rulers to break down everything with their silly civil wars.
rome, ottoman empire and colonial empires all were loot/pillage economies when their conquests and expansions stopped they gradually lost their hegemony.
Senate: Surely you aren't declaring yourself a king!? We still pretend to not like that. Augustus: No, no, no. I'm no king, I'm simply a citizen, like yourselves. However, I *am* to be considered the first among equals. Does that sound reasonable, Agrippa? Agrippa, sharpening a dagger: Perfectly reasonable, First Citizen.
The Sicilians are descendants of Greeks (and Cartheginians). When Rome was still a vassal of the Etruscans, Sicilian city states was already ruled by ruthless mob bosses called Tyrants. In fact, the word Tyrant used to mean a ruler who obtained power illegally. The Greek city states of ancient Sicily is the reasan Tyrant now means cruel ruler.
@@XavianBrightly He was Neapolitan if I remember correctly. I actually grew up around where his actor grew up. His hometown has a bunch of stuff named after him.
3:38 "You see, killbots have a preset kill limit. Knowing their weakness, I sent wave after wave of my own men at them until they reached their limit and shut down."
Yes, but clearly just a formality. It’s kind of like all those countries were their president gets 102% of the vote, even if they claim to be republics, they are de facto monarchies.
I genuinely think that this is the best video to introduce this channel with. It's decently funny, and the story of Rome is a very easy one to make interesting. I'm hesitant to call this the best one overall, but it's a good introduction, both to Roman history and the channel. Keep it up, Jack.
Minor Point: But when the Second Triumvirate "carved up" the Republic Lepidus had Africa AND Hispania. Though at the time the division occurred the war was still raging and though he had Africa in name, in reality it was still controlled by Sextus Pompey and his allies. We often overlook and forget about Lepidus but at the time he was seen as a major figure and Octavian was the junior and seen as tertiary to both Antony and Lepidus.
I'm so glad none of the stuff in the video could be similar and foretelling to our modern day socio/economic/political situations in various countries across the world....
I really hate the use of AI at 00:15. That doesn't look anything like Augustus and what is going on with his sword? Why do all of the men have beards when Romans famously looked down on beards as being barbaric?
Genuinely made me not watch the rest of the video and made me see Jack in a totally different light. Any random picture of an Augustus statue would have worked and been *better*. Unnecessary and gross.
There were way too many bearded emperors to make the blanket claim that "Romans looked down on beards". Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian, Diocletian, Aurelian, and dozens more had beards. You meant to say that the Roman aristocracy disliked beards during the republic and early empire.
kinda surprised the "he would be just as good invading the atlantic ocean" didnt give us a prompt to a video on caligula (given how he declared war on the sea once)
That probably never happened. Some have suggested that he forced his army to pick seashells/attack the ocean as punishment for not wanting to sail to Britain (the winds were too harsh for the journey)
I do like the recent re-contextualization of seeing Roman generals more as the warlords they were, as emphasized by videos like this or the ones by Tribunate. Feels like a de-mythologizing of history and how we should analyze all states and civilizations. The whole narrative of “great” aristocratic men serving the state out of a higher purpose really feels like it’s blatantly based in the propaganda those same men or their admirers left behind
Yes that's correct and in fact we should be paying attention to how the story of Rome played out vis a vis massive wealth inequality being used to seize power and destroy democracy because right now the wealth inequality in the US is on par with the wealth inequality in France right before the Revolution.
@@OsirisLord Which can also be argued to be the same wealth inequality to be suffered in Rome. It seems that history's endless waltz continues to play tribute to each tune before.
Holy shit that “At least we’re not actors” line hits so hard when you know about Plato and his feelings towards theatre lol Another conesseuir of dramaturgy I see
@@OsirisLord Pretty much. He thought very lowly of it. The "at least we're not actors" line is a reference to a dialogue between Plato and a famous actor, in which Plato essentially gets the actor to admit that Actors know very little, less than women or slaves. His opinion of theatre was far from stellar, that is for certain.
8:10 Ain’t that just the way? The obscenely-rich going ballistic at the prospect of losing the tiniest fraction of their wealth, even if it would benefit them and the whole nation in the long run. It’s frustrating to see Americans prop up these types of people as heroes or visionaries, when all they really are much of the time is insecure kids who got lucky at the casino.
The story has more to it. The Gracchi brothers abused their power of Veto to the point that it broke Rome. And Rome basically had no extravagantly rich people, until politicians used war to become extravagantly rich.
@@tylerdurden3722The Gracci brothers only did that because they genuinely wanted to push land reforms one way or another, and considering everything that happened after their deaths, it's coear they were the most well-intentioned actors of the later Republic.
Time to apply some gilded age policies, man. It’s not like we don’t know the solutions, they were just camouflaged with empty buzzwords through time “that’s communist!” when asking for efficient usage of taxes and a well working education system, for example. Thanks Reagan 🥴🥴🥴
@@MrGksarathy "The ends justify the means"? Quite easy to romanticize the actions of a tyrant if he dies before he can actually do harm Or in this case 2 petty tyrants fighting a gang of petty tyrants
@@commisaryarreck3974 In their defense, the entire system was stacked against actual reform for the common people, so they had to play dirty to do anything. Were the consequences ideal? No, but they were at least to some extent trying to do the right thing.
With the new Oversimplified vid, and then this video both being uploaded in the same week that my semester starts. I am literally taking a class called "History of the Roman Empire", I feel like I am being watched. How did ya'll know?
Suggestion for a video: Germany from late 1932 to late 1934. The consolidation period. The final struggle between the Weimar Republic, Monarchists, Old Conservatives, the last of the communists, and you know who. More specifically the period from the parliamentary win in late 1932 to the death of Hindenburg and sacking of Von Papen's powerbase in mid-late 1934. A story of how Papen and Hidenburg's gamble failed in the worst possible way, how you know who became THE ONLY GUY and not just THE GUY, and how for a brief period Germany's flag was actually the old red white black tricolor again(seriously, 1933-1935, it was the old tricolor)
@@tylerdurden3722 I meant how their elites promised vast riches for Rome and went onto these conquering sprees but the loot gets eaten by the generals and the politicians, thus the average Roman citizen didn't get anything out of the booty.
Thanks, G.U.R.P.S rpg, and specially G.U.R.P.S. Rome, you might have been an rpg system that was way better as a read than as a system, but you taught us kids of the 90s SO MUCH RANDOM HISTORY you shaped our obsessions!
Here is why Rome lasted so long. Despite how unfair the laws often seemed, Rome was the first to implement a code of law that was above the government. Even if not perfect, many of the bad parts were even more prevalent outside of Rome.
If Jack Rackham finishes explaining how Rome imploded before I get to the cinema, I have missed the start of Sonic 3. Welp, at least it's good power walking entertainment.
@@fierylightning3422 But cheeto is bad! Should've voted for the guy that gave himself, his family, his cronies and everyone else pre-emptive pardons for any and all past, current and future crimes comitted including treason It's almost as if putting forwards the worst candidates possible backfired somehow
"The government is gangs." Yeah, Jack. Always has been. The government, roughly described, is supposed to be the one gang (or violence organization) we grant legitimacy to. If it ceases to be the only game in town that means it's kinda failing.
True By definition is the gangest of the gangs. The one that holds the hegemony on violence. Withdrew it that and you have Haiti (poor Haitians, can't catch a break)
Roman society was run by patroon and client relationships. Having power was basically who you know. Every single person was eager to serve someone powerful in hopes that he’ll be your patron give you an allowance and make your family wealthy. Therefor mafia state seems about right.
Just a friendly reminder that Augustus was so popular by the end of the civil war with Antony. That people started actively harassing his political "opponents" that were "running" against him on their own. He openly ran for every senatorial office in the Republic and won them handily repeatedly. I need to stress that Augustus ' rule was so well liked by the Roman citizenry at large that it undid the entire legacy and legitimacy of the Republic for the last 400 years in about a decade. That's how dysfunctional the Senate was by the end. No one not even Cicero or Cato could've saved it from someone like Octavian or even Julius Caesar. Saying Rome was one big gang isn't really true tbh and it oversimplifies historical events a lot but thats Rackham's thing and he makes funny and well made entertaining videos that I definitely appreciate. Anyway thanks for reading this have a great day guys.
no, because america had industrialization, so the yeomen who lost their smallholdings to the planter elite could actually go somewhere and do something
Jack, I love your narration, your summary style, your topic choices, I just… The use of AI art bugs me. Like, morally and quality-wise. Your pivot animation style is unique, and it’s fun! If doing it means you have to use AI to _this_ degree? I’d legitimately prefer a black screen or using squares like historia civilis or something. It’s a blight on your otherwise wonderful library. Sorry, I know this comment doesn’t matter and won’t change anything, but this video’s AI art felt particularly AI-y and more prevalent than usual.
The political murder, violence surrounding the Gracchi Brothers was IMO, the first stumble on the slippery slope. The Roman Republic slipped and fell there and would eventually meet its end. Roman politics had always been ultra-competitive. But never to the point of resorting to murder. Jack, you also failed to mention the murders Sulla did when his army marched on Rome. There's an actual civil war going on between Sulla and Marius. As dictator, Sulla tries to make it harder for someone else to do what he just did. But it no longer mattered. He showed that it was now perfectly acceptable to take an army and march on Rome, slaughter your rivals. Everyone else took notes and learned from that. I also want to add that there was an earlier Social War when the Latin cities that helped Rome for so long rebelled because they were not getting the rewards. They had shown faithfulness during the Second Punic War. When Hannibal was crushing Roman armies left and right in Italy, the Latin cities for most parts stayed loyal, which confused the hell out of Hannibal. When the Roman Republic expanded into unforeseen heights after that war, the Latin cities were a major reason why. For every 1 man Rome sent to war, the Latin cities sent 3. For every Roman Legion there were a handful of Allied Legions that were trained and fought as the Romans. When the Latin cities wanted a better share and Roman citizenship, they were denied. A rebellion brewed up and armies that once saw each other as allies in war were now killing each other. Romans were attacking and sacking cities of people they once called allies. And they were getting rich while bloodying their hands, too. Sulla was one of the major leaders in the Social War. The Social War also IMO, was a big reason why the later Roman civil wars were so easy to happen. Killing friends and allies, people they called comrades, was already an easy thing to do. The Roman Republic was doomed long before Augustus and Julius Caesar.
Oh no, no it wasn't Their blatant abuse of the veto to break the system and leave no room was the first stumble. Their murder after was the consequences of their own actions. They ground the state to a halt and it's breaking point. Disregarding the honor system that allowed it to function
I used to study Athens and Rome from civics and I learned that: 1)A direct democracy like Athens is chaotic in its nature and because most people are ignorant, it usually ends up reverting to less democratic methods to keep society functioning. 2) A representative democracy like Rome, only works as long as various parties put aside self interests and are willing to compromise with one another instead of being partisan.
The first point isn't true today in the West. Most people are very much literate. The issue with the current political elite, is that they act and treat people as if were a illeterate mob from the 1900s, and wonder why they vote for more populist politician who treat them better. Direct democracies like in Switzerland is the best political system.
You act like the armies weren't gangs before Augustus. I'm sorry but wasn't Gaul conquered by Caesar's army? Not Rome's legions. Caesar's legions. If they were Rome's, they wouldn't have followed him over the Rubicon
Hey, if you liked this video and want to spend more time obsessively thinking about the Roman Empire, check out these other videos!
The Empire crashes and burns as soon as Augustus dies: ua-cam.com/video/UBfWzZiYxsI/v-deo.html
Augustus' rival in the East goes on adventures with Cleopatra: ua-cam.com/video/EZYjOz7vzrk/v-deo.html
Caesar and Pompey's civil war appears in this (very old) video: ua-cam.com/video/2GuglnMJdfc/v-deo.html
Crassus and his firefighter cartel makes an appearance here: ua-cam.com/video/mpyux9pZO6c/v-deo.html
This May I'll be showing a group of you around Japan, and the waitlist is still open! You'll be notified as soon as a spot becomes available, and it's the best way to learn about our next trip before anyone else! trovatrip.com/trip/asia/japan/japan-with-jack-rackam-may-2025
Hello Jack! HUGE FAN! Love your content 😊😊😊
Just wanted to say hi
Recently got your channel recommended and then the rest of your videos and have now watched them.
Keep up the good work!
It was not a democracy
@@davidcoquelle3081 why not?
@JackRackam I really wanted to watch it, but I was put off immediately by the AI art at the start.
It feels like you're better than that, plus the art style was kinda like bad mobile games and had Augustus looking like offbrand Jake Gyllenhaal. Felt like an intro I'd see on a channel with 20 subs that started a week ago, not an established respectable channel. You are better than that.
The fact that Rome ever became so powerful and remained relatively stable for so long with all this political chaos going on is nothing but amazing
But it ended in the end like any evil empire.
Like the old saying goes. There's a lot of ruin in a nation
The thing to keep in mind is that all of this political chaos was mostly centered around *Rome* itself. A lot of stupid stuff can go on in the capitol so long as it doesn't spill out into the rest of the Empire. When it started to do so, that's when the problems started to get really severe.
Definitely not looking in America's direction while reading that comment, nope not at all
@@Elijah.Ben.BENJAMIN54 Rome didn't start out evil.
Rome was once the definition of incorruptable. During that period, Rome's most respected Hero's were individuals who resisted the temptations of the things that corrupt.
It was common to find high politicians plowing their own fields, with their own hands, on their farm...during that era.
It was common for politicians and diplomats to be unbribable during that era.
And it was in this era that Rome went from a pipsweek to a superpower...then they had a war with Hannibal and ironically this caused the long slow end of Rome
You know, the more one studies about Rome, the more one is left with a paradoxical array of emotions: impressed by its lofty institutions and ideals, simultaneously disgusted by its corruption and brutality, then shocked that this entity (in one form or another) lasted from the Classical Era all the way to the late Medieval period, and left finally wondering, "How?! How did they last for so long?"
Rome actually began in the Pre-Classical Era. Yes, it's absolutely astounding it lasted so long.
reminds me of WH40K's imperium of man in a way, the emperor's dream of imperium everlasting has been dead ever since the horus heresy, an in-universe civil war which after the fact the imperium has known nothing but corruption and stagnation. yet in spite of all that is against it, its kept alive by the bottom line of people toiling away to keep it going, and the fact that people were still trying to keep the failed imperium going is reason enough to keep trying
Rome was a clusterfuck FAR before its collapse, but throughout its expansive history there were always people who in spite of how imperfect and flawed Rome was, really did want to keep it thriving and it is these people that allowed it to survive for over a thousand years
Proper organization. They recorded everything, created infrastructures and laws that would work for centuries. It took some real messed up rulers to break down everything with their silly civil wars.
@@derpidius6306 Honestly, I get the sense the failures of 40K’s Imperium far outdoes actual empires.
rome, ottoman empire and colonial empires all were loot/pillage economies when their conquests and expansions stopped they gradually lost their hegemony.
Senate: "We are a Republic!"
Augustus: "I am altering the Republic. Pray I don't alter it any further."
Senate: Surely you aren't declaring yourself a king!? We still pretend to not like that.
Augustus: No, no, no. I'm no king, I'm simply a citizen, like yourselves. However, I *am* to be considered the first among equals. Does that sound reasonable, Agrippa?
Agrippa, sharpening a dagger: Perfectly reasonable, First Citizen.
Always an Empire. Was still a Republic, just different.
@@eldorados_lost_searcher Sounds like modern democracy with less extra steps.
Octavian: "I love Democracy. I love the Republic"
*1 civil war later*
Augustus: "The Republic will ge reorganised into the First Roman Empire".
I think you should replace Caesar with Cicero. Caesar was the one who wanted to be dictator for life
“For a safe and secure…society!”
@ That part was supposed to be ironic.
Except Octavian did his utmost to avoid publicly saying Rome was an empire (in the modern sense).
@@hansonlee5847 Caesar tried to hide his dicatorial role by showing himself as the hero of the Republic.
So when Tony Soprano said “you’re looking at em” in reference to the descendants of the Romans he was correct in more than one way.
The Sicilians are descendants of Greeks (and Cartheginians).
When Rome was still a vassal of the Etruscans, Sicilian city states was already ruled by ruthless mob bosses called Tyrants.
In fact, the word Tyrant used to mean a ruler who obtained power illegally. The Greek city states of ancient Sicily is the reasan Tyrant now means cruel ruler.
@@tylerdurden3722 Tony wasnt sicilian, you are thinking of the Godfather
@@XavianBrightly
He was Neapolitan if I remember correctly. I actually grew up around where his actor grew up. His hometown has a bunch of stuff named after him.
just like what they said, the biggest curse God gave the Romans, turning them into Italians
Augustus made them an offer they couldn't refuse.
That’s a nice senate you have there….shame if something happened to it…
Roman Senate, whatever happened there...
He compromised
Lepidus spent 20 years in North Africa cooking grilled cheese on the radiator
You ever hear about the Chinese Emperor? He made them an offer they couldn't understand
3:38 "You see, killbots have a preset kill limit. Knowing their weakness, I sent wave after wave of my own men at them until they reached their limit and shut down."
Augustus was very careful to consolidate his power over decades. For most of his career his was merely Rome's First Citizen.
Yes, but clearly just a formality. It’s kind of like all those countries were their president gets 102% of the vote, even if they claim to be republics, they are de facto monarchies.
The dude invented Democratic backsliding millenia before our current wannabe dictators
In all the videos I have ever watched about Rome, this was the most accurate and best explained 15 minutes. Respect.
"Sulla Passed laws to prevent anyone from following in his footsteps, and after Caesar followed in his foot steps he passed laws"
I genuinely think that this is the best video to introduce this channel with. It's decently funny, and the story of Rome is a very easy one to make interesting. I'm hesitant to call this the best one overall, but it's a good introduction, both to Roman history and the channel. Keep it up, Jack.
Italians: "Why does everyone assume we're all gangsters? That's just a stereotype with no basis in history!"
Italian history:
Minor Point: But when the Second Triumvirate "carved up" the Republic Lepidus had Africa AND Hispania. Though at the time the division occurred the war was still raging and though he had Africa in name, in reality it was still controlled by Sextus Pompey and his allies.
We often overlook and forget about Lepidus but at the time he was seen as a major figure and Octavian was the junior and seen as tertiary to both Antony and Lepidus.
Last time I was this early, Rome was still a democracy.
As MAGAtards would say: "It was never a democracy, but a republic."
Same
So…
Never?
Last time I was this early, America was too
You mean a Republic? Rome was never a Democracy. That was Greece
I'm so glad none of the stuff in the video could be similar and foretelling to our modern day socio/economic/political situations in various countries across the world....
I really hate the use of AI at 00:15. That doesn't look anything like Augustus and what is going on with his sword? Why do all of the men have beards when Romans famously looked down on beards as being barbaric?
Agreed.
Puts to show how much this channel cares about historical accuracy
Genuinely made me not watch the rest of the video and made me see Jack in a totally different light.
Any random picture of an Augustus statue would have worked and been *better*. Unnecessary and gross.
There were way too many bearded emperors to make the blanket claim that "Romans looked down on beards". Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian, Diocletian, Aurelian, and dozens more had beards. You meant to say that the Roman aristocracy disliked beards during the republic and early empire.
@N0TYALC during this period, yes? Hadrian was the first bearded emperor and he lived almost two hundred years after Augustus.
Now THIS is the kind of Rome content that's way too underrepresented! Love this!
You're telling me that Italians had issues with gangs?
kinda surprised the "he would be just as good invading the atlantic ocean" didnt give us a prompt to a video on caligula (given how he declared war on the sea once)
He already made one I think.
@ i know, he annotates the video with videos related to what he just said, hence “invade ocean” could annotate to caligula
@ fair
That probably never happened. Some have suggested that he forced his army to pick seashells/attack the ocean as punishment for not wanting to sail to Britain (the winds were too harsh for the journey)
I shouted out “who killed democracy?” When after all, it was you and me.
Two videos this month involving Scipio Africanus from my favorite history UA-camrs?! Hell yeah!
I know! I love it!❤
I do like the recent re-contextualization of seeing Roman generals more as the warlords they were, as emphasized by videos like this or the ones by Tribunate. Feels like a de-mythologizing of history and how we should analyze all states and civilizations. The whole narrative of “great” aristocratic men serving the state out of a higher purpose really feels like it’s blatantly based in the propaganda those same men or their admirers left behind
Yes that's correct and in fact we should be paying attention to how the story of Rome played out vis a vis massive wealth inequality being used to seize power and destroy democracy because right now the wealth inequality in the US is on par with the wealth inequality in France right before the Revolution.
@@OsirisLord Which can also be argued to be the same wealth inequality to be suffered in Rome.
It seems that history's endless waltz continues to play tribute to each tune before.
Holy shit that “At least we’re not actors” line hits so hard when you know about Plato and his feelings towards theatre lol
Another conesseuir of dramaturgy I see
Let me guess, Plato hated theater?
@@OsirisLord Pretty much.
He thought very lowly of it. The "at least we're not actors" line is a reference to a dialogue between Plato and a famous actor, in which Plato essentially gets the actor to admit that Actors know very little, less than women or slaves. His opinion of theatre was far from stellar, that is for certain.
I've made it so quick to anew upload after binging old episode when I discovered this channel! Hurrah!
YAY! More rome videos! Suggestion: Please consider covering CONSTANTINE the Great
"There is always room in the family." Just don't let Livia know that you are going to be the next head of the family...
For me, it's
combination of internal and external factors, including corruption, economic problems, and foreign invasion
I love how you help me learn and laugh lol ur sense of humor is awesome!
Hannibal: Attacks Rome with Elephants.
Pyrus: First time?
What a timely and relevant video.
Cassius negotiating with Augustus be like:
"Your uncle Julius, whatever happened there......"
"Compared to how rich the east was, the west was by far the worse half," hey don't forget about Lepidus like that! He was... there? I think?
That's Lepidus' entire legacy, even to the few people who recognize the name: "He was... there? I think?" xD
If there was any justice in the Tuberverse, Jack would have 5 million subs. His writing and production quality is untouchable.
8:10 Ain’t that just the way? The obscenely-rich going ballistic at the prospect of losing the tiniest fraction of their wealth, even if it would benefit them and the whole nation in the long run. It’s frustrating to see Americans prop up these types of people as heroes or visionaries, when all they really are much of the time is insecure kids who got lucky at the casino.
The story has more to it.
The Gracchi brothers abused their power of Veto to the point that it broke Rome.
And Rome basically had no extravagantly rich people, until politicians used war to become extravagantly rich.
@@tylerdurden3722The Gracci brothers only did that because they genuinely wanted to push land reforms one way or another, and considering everything that happened after their deaths, it's coear they were the most well-intentioned actors of the later Republic.
Time to apply some gilded age policies, man. It’s not like we don’t know the solutions, they were just camouflaged with empty buzzwords through time “that’s communist!” when asking for efficient usage of taxes and a well working education system, for example. Thanks Reagan 🥴🥴🥴
@@MrGksarathy
"The ends justify the means"?
Quite easy to romanticize the actions of a tyrant if he dies before he can actually do harm
Or in this case 2 petty tyrants fighting a gang of petty tyrants
@@commisaryarreck3974 In their defense, the entire system was stacked against actual reform for the common people, so they had to play dirty to do anything. Were the consequences ideal? No, but they were at least to some extent trying to do the right thing.
With the new Oversimplified vid, and then this video both being uploaded in the same week that my semester starts. I am literally taking a class called "History of the Roman Empire", I feel like I am being watched. How did ya'll know?
Thanks For this! You always make My day
Just the video I needed right now, Jack you are a GEM
0:12 Please tell me that isn’t AI art, because it looks A LOT like AI art…
Yeah that annoyed me too. Made it feel like he stolen the start of his video.
Though with the art style ig it was stolen from shitty mobile games?
Alright, here goes "that isn't AI art." There you go, feeling better now?
no cambia nada
@@jeanpierdavidvegachoque6947
I was just thinking the same thing!
Such a weird place to use it too, he can absolutely make a panning shot of Caesar and a few other prominent Romans for an intro
Suggestion for a video: Germany from late 1932 to late 1934. The consolidation period. The final struggle between the Weimar Republic, Monarchists, Old Conservatives, the last of the communists, and you know who. More specifically the period from the parliamentary win in late 1932 to the death of Hindenburg and sacking of Von Papen's powerbase in mid-late 1934. A story of how Papen and Hidenburg's gamble failed in the worst possible way, how you know who became THE ONLY GUY and not just THE GUY, and how for a brief period Germany's flag was actually the old red white black tricolor again(seriously, 1933-1935, it was the old tricolor)
Caesar loved Clodius like a brother in law.
Rome was doing the "trickle down" trick way before others.
At least rome tried to give the disenfranchised pleb masses welfare and free entertainment so they wouldn't all starve and or rebel lol
Never thought it that way but it seems true
And it worked just as well back then. Which is to say not at all.
Rome didn't do trickle down.
They paid workers absolutely nothing...because the workers on these large corporate farms were vast multitudes of slaves.
@@tylerdurden3722 I meant how their elites promised vast riches for Rome and went onto these conquering sprees but the loot gets eaten by the generals and the politicians, thus the average Roman citizen didn't get anything out of the booty.
It was ME Barry!!!!
0:48 all things considered, this isn't exactly too off from today's society (USA). Almost par for the course
Besides the firemen, everything else applies today
You could draw an incredible amount of parallels between the Roman Empire and the USA. This is not news
@kitcutting dunno almost like most major Western civilizations have tried emulating Rome in the past 2000 years.
@@JOGA_Wills
Honestly at this point private firemen would probably be better then the public option
Thanks, G.U.R.P.S rpg, and specially G.U.R.P.S. Rome, you might have been an rpg system that was way better as a read than as a system, but you taught us kids of the 90s SO MUCH RANDOM HISTORY you shaped our obsessions!
This video timed perfectly for Oversimplified video on the way
what a fun way to reframe looking at this period of Rome's history!
Great timing btw
Rome had elections, of the rich and by the rich. The Democracy they destroyed in Greece had participation, no silly elections.
Well, participation by land-owning men.
@@Xalerdane It's the modern nonsense claiming that citizen rights equals democracy. It's about who calls the shots.
@Breakfast_of_Champions That's what it's all about everyone.
Lmao
echolalia
When i was last time this early Romulus and Remus were still fed by shewolf!
6:30 as usual, the problems start with economic inequality
Ngl, this is an amazing video!! Thanks once again!!
Roman politics should be their own genre of drama 😂
Everybody is a Gangster until Don
Octivius arrive
Here is why Rome lasted so long. Despite how unfair the laws often seemed, Rome was the first to implement a code of law that was above the government. Even if not perfect, many of the bad parts were even more prevalent outside of Rome.
That was an interesting way to look at the end of the Roman Republic
Wonderful timing
If Jack Rackham finishes explaining how Rome imploded before I get to the cinema, I have missed the start of Sonic 3. Welp, at least it's good power walking entertainment.
1:09 🤓 erm, actually, that was the king’s son.
One of my very favorites!! Thanks for another Jack Rackam gem!
It’s gotta be hard to do street ballet in a toga
I’m subscribed and have notifications turned on. How did I miss this?
This video came at the perfect time when I start rewatching the HBO rome show.
as a long time fan of the channel "ive been thinking about the roman empire again" reads like a threat in the best way
I still want that Germanicus fan fic.
And this is why I play the miniature war game, Gangs of Rome.
You did great like always! I have a question. What do you think alien music would sound like?
The whole thing about the army being autonomus from the central government and mostly acting on it's own reminds me of the Japanese army during WW2
Democracy leads to tyranny. Mind blown.
Brutus: "In the name of the Senate, you're under arrest!"
Octavian: "I am the Senate!"
After watching this my question isn't why did the Roman Empire collapse, it is why did it take so long?
Can you cover general Sulla? The guy who did everything that Caesar did but first.
I swear, every UA-cam who makes a video on early Rome are quick to say "I ain't hear no bell"
but, tbf, that was Rome's whole vibe
The last "Don Augustus" line was definitely on some level inspired by certain events that unfolded in the last 2 months and 17 days
Except the certain individual you’re referencing got into power by popular vote; not by military coup
@@fierylightning3422
But cheeto is bad!
Should've voted for the guy that gave himself, his family, his cronies and everyone else pre-emptive pardons for any and all past, current and future crimes comitted including treason
It's almost as if putting forwards the worst candidates possible backfired somehow
Al Capone's ancestor, El Cappuccino
Thank you, this was very interesting
"The government is gangs."
Yeah, Jack. Always has been. The government, roughly described, is supposed to be the one gang (or violence organization) we grant legitimacy to. If it ceases to be the only game in town that means it's kinda failing.
True
By definition is the gangest of the gangs. The one that holds the hegemony on violence. Withdrew it that and you have Haiti (poor Haitians, can't catch a break)
See Haiti
Roman society was run by patroon and client relationships. Having power was basically who you know. Every single person was eager to serve someone powerful in hopes that he’ll be your patron give you an allowance and make your family wealthy. Therefor mafia state seems about right.
Hey bud, where ya been?
“I’ve been thinking about the Roman Empire” is so fucking real
Best episode yet
Just a friendly reminder that Augustus was so popular by the end of the civil war with Antony. That people started actively harassing his political "opponents" that were "running" against him on their own. He openly ran for every senatorial office in the Republic and won them handily repeatedly. I need to stress that Augustus ' rule was so well liked by the Roman citizenry at large that it undid the entire legacy and legitimacy of the Republic for the last 400 years in about a decade. That's how dysfunctional the Senate was by the end. No one not even Cicero or Cato could've saved it from someone like Octavian or even Julius Caesar.
Saying Rome was one big gang isn't really true tbh and it oversimplifies historical events a lot but thats Rackham's thing and he makes funny and well made entertaining videos that I definitely appreciate. Anyway thanks for reading this have a great day guys.
Cato was the only one who truly was responsible for the great Roman civil war.
@@darth_nihilus_fair
Rome surviving as long as it did is one of the most absurd feats in history
Consuls being elected for 1 year only was easily the biggest flaw in the Roman system.
So, Augustus didn't fix Rome's violence and corruption, he won.
Fry: What killed ancient Rome?
Big Brain: MEEEE!
Sextus Tarquinius was a prince, not a king
I'm literally learning about this in class right now.
I will send this to my son to tell him Italians will never change.
"The pinnacle of western civilization" no dude it was ancient Mexico and it's capital was ancient Chicago
1:08 It wasn’t the king, it was his son Sextus Tarquinius.
This is exactly how people will look back at America
no, because america had industrialization, so the yeomen who lost their smallholdings to the planter elite could actually go somewhere and do something
Jack, I love your narration, your summary style, your topic choices, I just…
The use of AI art bugs me. Like, morally and quality-wise.
Your pivot animation style is unique, and it’s fun! If doing it means you have to use AI to _this_ degree? I’d legitimately prefer a black screen or using squares like historia civilis or something. It’s a blight on your otherwise wonderful library.
Sorry, I know this comment doesn’t matter and won’t change anything, but this video’s AI art felt particularly AI-y and more prevalent than usual.
The political murder, violence surrounding the Gracchi Brothers was IMO, the first stumble on the slippery slope. The Roman Republic slipped and fell there and would eventually meet its end. Roman politics had always been ultra-competitive. But never to the point of resorting to murder.
Jack, you also failed to mention the murders Sulla did when his army marched on Rome. There's an actual civil war going on between Sulla and Marius. As dictator, Sulla tries to make it harder for someone else to do what he just did. But it no longer mattered. He showed that it was now perfectly acceptable to take an army and march on Rome, slaughter your rivals. Everyone else took notes and learned from that.
I also want to add that there was an earlier Social War when the Latin cities that helped Rome for so long rebelled because they were not getting the rewards. They had shown faithfulness during the Second Punic War. When Hannibal was crushing Roman armies left and right in Italy, the Latin cities for most parts stayed loyal, which confused the hell out of Hannibal. When the Roman Republic expanded into unforeseen heights after that war, the Latin cities were a major reason why. For every 1 man Rome sent to war, the Latin cities sent 3. For every Roman Legion there were a handful of Allied Legions that were trained and fought as the Romans.
When the Latin cities wanted a better share and Roman citizenship, they were denied. A rebellion brewed up and armies that once saw each other as allies in war were now killing each other. Romans were attacking and sacking cities of people they once called allies.
And they were getting rich while bloodying their hands, too. Sulla was one of the major leaders in the Social War.
The Social War also IMO, was a big reason why the later Roman civil wars were so easy to happen. Killing friends and allies, people they called comrades, was already an easy thing to do.
The Roman Republic was doomed long before Augustus and Julius Caesar.
Oh no, no it wasn't
Their blatant abuse of the veto to break the system and leave no room was the first stumble. Their murder after was the consequences of their own actions. They ground the state to a halt and it's breaking point. Disregarding the honor system that allowed it to function
Lore of What Killed Rome's Democracy momentum 100
Great time to post this
had that exact thought couple of years back :D .... Italia it seems has not changed that much over the past 2,5 Millennia
I used to study Athens and Rome from civics and I learned that:
1)A direct democracy like Athens is chaotic in its nature and because most people are ignorant, it usually ends up reverting to less democratic methods to keep society functioning.
2) A representative democracy like Rome, only works as long as various parties put aside self interests and are willing to compromise with one another instead of being partisan.
The first point isn't true today in the West. Most people are very much literate.
The issue with the current political elite, is that they act and treat people as if were a illeterate mob from the 1900s, and wonder why they vote for more populist politician who treat them better.
Direct democracies like in Switzerland is the best political system.
This may have been the most confusing educational video I have ever watched.
13:30 this is why only Brian Blessed could play Augustus. And why Augustus was a monster.
You act like the armies weren't gangs before Augustus.
I'm sorry but wasn't Gaul conquered by Caesar's army? Not Rome's legions. Caesar's legions.
If they were Rome's, they wouldn't have followed him over the Rubicon
He said that.