SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

This book is a broad overview of the Roman Republic and the subsequent Empire. Although history is a lot more palatable in historical novels that I read often, this book still engages its readers with plenty of interesting and important stories to weave a narrative. I was interested in learning about Roman governance and politics, and the book does a great job at giving the breadth that stretches from the insignificant little town to a thriving republic and into an autocracy. The writing style was somewhat dry to me mainly because there is simply so much material and I found myself sometimes lost in the narrative, but aside from this the book is still very accessible. There are also side tangents that explore some of the more recent historical and archaeological developments going on if you’re into that.

The point that was interesting was in the Republic’s sturdiness. A government by a dictator is often faster and more efficient, but prone to great mistakes. The checks and balances of the early Republic between the executive consuls and the legislative senate, as well as with the general population, made it far harder to make great mistakes as a state. Even in this scheme society had its turbulences but the Republic didn’t collapse on itself whereas autocracies often do. Because of good political infrastructure, the Republic had some of the most forward-looking policies regarding citizenship opportunity and favoring assimilation over subjugation; these allowed it to expand in influence at a sustainable pace. It’s a good reference point for modern politics as well, especially in the 20th century where collectivization of power into the central government and individuals caused the grand, self-inflicted implosions of China and the USSR, marring the lives of many.