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Roman Depth Study: the Breakdown of the Late Republic 88 to 31 BC

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did Caesar use his victory in the civil war, and why was he assassinated on the Ides of March 44 BC?

Caesar's dictatorship and assassination: his victory in the civil war, his accumulation of powers and honours, his reforms, the motives of the conspirators, and the assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC, with evaluation of the prescribed sources.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to Caesar's dictatorship and assassination. Covers his victory in the civil war, his accumulation of powers and honours (dictator for life), his reforms, the motives of the conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius, and the assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC, with evaluation of Plutarch, Suetonius, Cicero and Appian.
16 min answer →

How did the extraordinary commands of Pompey and the wealth of Crassus undermine the Republic's conventions of shared, limited power?

Pompey, Crassus and the politics of the 70s and 60s BC: Pompey's irregular early career and extraordinary commands against the pirates and Mithridates, the wealth and ambition of Crassus, and how their power strained the Republic before the First Triumvirate.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to Pompey and Crassus in the Late Republic. Covers Pompey's irregular early career and extraordinary commands against the pirates and Mithridates, the wealth and ambition of Crassus, the rivalry between them, and how their power strained the Republic's conventions before the First Triumvirate, with evaluation of Plutarch, Cicero and Appian.
16 min answer →

How did Sulla's marches on Rome and his dictatorship break the conventions of the Republic and set precedents for its fall?

Sulla and the breakdown of Republican norms: the first march on Rome in 88 BC, the civil war with the Marians, the proscriptions, the dictatorship and the Sullan constitution, and the precedents Sulla set for the use of armies in politics.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to Sulla and the breakdown of the Late Republic. Covers the first march on Rome in 88 BC, the civil war with the Marians, the proscriptions, the dictatorship and the Sullan constitutional reforms, and the dangerous precedents Sulla set for the use of armies in politics, with evaluation of Plutarch, Appian and Sallust.
16 min answer →

How did the First Triumvirate concentrate power outside the constitution, and how did Caesar's Gallic command lead to the crossing of the Rubicon?

The First Triumvirate and the rise of Caesar: the alliance of Pompey, Crassus and Caesar in 60 BC, Caesar's consulship and Gallic command, the breakdown of the alliance after Crassus's death, and the crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BC that began the civil war.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to the First Triumvirate and the rise of Caesar. Covers the alliance of Pompey, Crassus and Caesar in 60 BC, Caesar's consulship and Gallic command, the breakdown of the alliance after the deaths of Julia and Crassus, and the crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BC, with evaluation of Caesar, Cicero, Plutarch and Appian.
16 min answer →

How did the Second Triumvirate avenge Caesar and then turn on itself, ending in Octavian's victory at Actium and the end of the Republic?

The Second Triumvirate and the end of the Republic: the alliance of Antony, Octavian and Lepidus in 43 BC, the proscriptions and the death of Cicero, the defeat of the Liberators at Philippi, the breakdown between Antony and Octavian, the propaganda war, and the battle of Actium in 31 BC.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to the Second Triumvirate and the end of the Republic. Covers the alliance of Antony, Octavian and Lepidus in 43 BC, the proscriptions and the death of Cicero, the defeat of the Liberators at Philippi in 42 BC, the breakdown between Antony and Octavian, the propaganda war over Cleopatra, and the battle of Actium in 31 BC, with source evaluation.
16 min answer →