CDZ How big a problem were the civil wars to the Romans?

[Toronado3800]

Whenever I read Roman Empire history I always am amazed by the number of civil wars they had. Either Emperors were assassinated, a coup occurred or there was an out right civil war.

It seems they had no system for the peaceful transition of power and repeatedly failed to learn from it.

How big of a problem WAS this for them? Is it a concrete number thing like XX% of Legion deaths were in civil war vs XX% in traditional wars?

What should I read up on?

 

[Onyx]

The lack of a system for power transition is what allowed the Roman empire to last so long.

Transparent dictatorships and oligarchies have a longer lifespan than republics. Fact.

 

[Toronado3800]

The lack of a system for power transition is what allowed the Roman empire to last so long.

Transparent dictatorships and oligarchies have a longer lifespan than republics. Fact.

The deaths of all them soldiers at the hands of Romans helped the Empire last longer?

Based on the idea only the strong survived so they were genetically superior to a peaceful nation?

 

[Onyx]

The deaths of all them soldiers at the hands of Romans helped the Empire last longer?

Based on the idea only the strong survived so they were genetically superior to a peaceful nation?

The tremendous military power and political authority of the Roman army discouraged major resistance, and kept the tool box singing praises.

The reason the Roman Empire lasted so long, is because they always had another tribe to reign terror on, or another peasant revolt to squash.

By the way, the reason the United States lasted significantly longer than the average republic, is because the United States is not actually a republic. It is an inverted totalitarian oligarchy, that plays on many of the same tactics as the Roman Empire.

 

[Picaro]

Whenever I read Roman Empire history I always am amazed by the number of civil wars they had. Either Emperors were assassinated, a coup occurred or there was an out right civil war.

It seems they had no system for the peaceful transition of power and repeatedly failed to learn from it.

How big of a problem WAS this for them? Is it a concrete number thing like XX% of Legion deaths were in civil war vs XX% in traditional wars?

What should I read up on?

It was a big empire, relative to travel times, so I doubt most were affected outside of the armies and patrician families and equestrians in many of them, plus they lasted roughly over a thousand years, impressive in itself. We've had two of out own, the Revolutionary war and the Civil War, in just 200 years, as well as being on the verge of half a dozen others.

They also developed a fairly solid legal system and moderately effective system and the roads to service the central city.

 

[Picaro]

By the way, the reason the United States lasted significantly longer than the average republic, is because the United States is not actually a republic. It is an inverted totalitarian oligarchy, that plays on many of the same tactics as the Roman Empire.

I would add that we have no strong hostile states as neighbors as being a major factor; nobody capable of exploiting our weaknesses in bad and/or unstable times, not since 1816 anyway.

 

[Picaro]

Whenever I read Roman Empire history I always am amazed by the number of civil wars they had. Either Emperors were assassinated, a coup occurred or there was an out right civil war.

It seems they had no system for the peaceful transition of power and repeatedly failed to learn from it.

How big of a problem WAS this for them? Is it a concrete number thing like XX% of Legion deaths were in civil war vs XX% in traditional wars?

What should I read up on?

I've never counted them, actually; good question. Probably the most important later one as far as the West was concerned was the "Four Emperors' era and Constantine's successes in that one.

 

[320 Years of History]

What should I read up on?

I suggest starting here:

• Civil War and Revolution What can the study of civil war bring to our understanding of revolutions?
• The Comparative Study of Civil War: Towards A Dynamic Model
  
• "On the Etiology of Internal Wars" in History and Theory