Alex Petkas - Cost of Glory Profile picture
May 31 13 tweets 5 min read Read on X
The US is entering uncharted waters.

Political prosecutions are what brought down the Roman Republic.

Here's how. 🧵 Image
Donald Trump is the first US president to be indicted, let alone ruled a felon by a US court.

The court system of any society is designed to be a neutral arbiter of disputes;

Trust in the courts is crucial to prevent spirals of retributive violence. Image
In Rome, an office holder was immune from prosecution while holding office

A consul could not be prosecuted during his 1 year term

Same for a "proconsul" = a consul w/ term extended, usually serving as a general or provincial governor

in 50 BC, Julius Caesar was a Proconsul. Image
Caesar's enemies - Cato and friends - were publicly vowing to prosecute Caesar when his term ended

Caesar had been a successful general for nearly 10 years, conquered all of Gaul

Cato claimed they had 10 years worth of crimes to prosecute him for. Image
Caesar wanted to run for Consul again, to renew his immunity.

Unfortunately, to run for consul in Rome, you have to lay down your proconsular office & enter the city.

Caesar would have to become a private citizen in Rome for several months

(Plenty of time for a prosecution) Image
Caesar asked the authorities for an exception - to "run in absentia"

(in recognition of his achievements on behalf of Rome)

Thus he could keep immunity over the transition to new office

In 52, a law was passed to allow this

But by 50, Caesar's enemies had unwound the law.
Cato & Friends now forced Caesar into a dilemma:

Either
a) Lay down your office & face prosecution,
OR
b) start a Civil War

(in 50, Caesar's legal term of office was expiring) Image
Cato & Friends drew Rome's other greatest leader, Pompey, onto their side

Caesar tried to negotiate

Pompey dug in his heels

Ultimatums were issued.

They all thought Caesar would back down. Image
Caesar took the Nuclear Option and crossed the Rubicon in January, 49 BC

(The Rubicon River was the boundary of Caesar's province: crossing it amounted to a declaration of war)

This explains why political trials can become so dangerous: Image
If there is no neutral arbiter, the recourse is usually violence

Caesar claimed Cato & Senate were corrupt, motivated by personal animosity

(they did undo some laws, after all)

Cato & co. said "Caesar is a threat to the Republic"

Who could adjudicate, except the gods of war? Image
The threat of prosecution motivates heads of state to cling to power in many "third world" countries.

A precedent has been set.

The Biden family now have reason to fear prosecution if they lose the election

The stakes have been raised, massively Image
From Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BC
... to avoid political prosecution

Until Actium in 31 BC,

Rome passed through a long period of civil war

Which ended in the establishment of a monarchy.

Is the die cast?

This is why we study history. Image
For the full story, listen to some of my bios from the Cost of Glory Podcast.

Such as Pompey, Episodes 83-85 Image

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More from @costofglory

Oct 28
In the late Roman Republic, "legal" tampering with voting rolls caused the great First Civil War.

This happened by sudden, massive additions of "new citizens" by legislative fiat.

The parallels to today offer many lessons. 🧵 Image
Background:
in the 100s BC, there was widespread discontent with the elites.

The oligarchic establishment was getting rich

Forever Wars, Petty plundering, government contracts, foreign bribes, importing cheap labor

Inequality skyrocketed

The Gracchi Brothers were the first to try to do something about it, in the previous generationImage
But the greatest of the dissident populists was general Gaius Marius - 6 times consul by 100BC.

He used the Gracchi's playbook: leverage discontent, bend the rules through plebiscites.

Marius finally ended the forever wars, conquering Jugurtha, & the Cimbri in huge conflicts Image
Read 16 tweets
Jul 14
Assassinations: a telling sign of Late Republic turmoil.

History is not over, it is accelerating.

Some classic case studies from Rome and their lessons: 🧵 Image
1: Servilius Glaucia was running for consul for the year 99 BC.

His candidature was illegal (he had been praetor the year before, you're supposed to wait 2 years).

Fearing a challenge from a more respectable candidate (Memmius), Glaucia simply had the man murdered by a mob in broad daylight.Image
Glaucia and his friend Saturninus (a tribune) underestimated the backlash

The senate declared martial law ("senatus consultum ultimum"). The serving consul, Gaius Marius, sent in troops and besieged them on the Capitoline hill.

The culprits were released under truce, taken into custody in the senate house,

And both murdered with roof tiles during the night.Image
Read 14 tweets
Jun 5
If you think one man can't change the course of history,

You're underestimating the power of influence.

Here's how a world without Julius Caesar would look:🧵 Image
Let's start with politics.

Without Caesar, the First Triumvirate would never have existed

Crassus and Pompey might have never consolidated their power.

Republican government in Rome could've lasted *much* longer.

The title Kaiser, Tsar, even the concept "Emperor" ?

Poof. Image
2/
Next: Literature.

Caesar was a prolific writer.

Without him, we'd lack his classic firsthand account of the Gallic Wars.

Let’s not get started on Lucan, Suetonius, Plutarch, Shakespeare…

He was an authority on literary taste, and wrote treatises "amidst flying missiles" Image
Read 8 tweets
May 22
Everyone should understand the real reasons behind Julius Caesar's assassination.

Unfortunately, most don't...

A deep dive into the untold story from the eyes of one of Caesar’s closest ally, Brutus: 🧵 Image
1/
Brutus was a firm believer in the principle that no single man should hold too much power.

His belief stemmed from a personal connection - he claimed descent from Lucius Junius Brutus,

the man who helped overthrow a tyrannical king in the past. Image
Your favorite Roman Imperator Julius Caesar had risen dramatically to power...

...and become the wealthiest man in Rome, thanks to his military triumphs.

His popularity was soaring: statues built, temples dedicated, and even a month renamed after him:

Julius → July!
Read 12 tweets
Aug 31, 2023
Cicero was Rome's greatest orator.

His most famous speech is a character assassination.

Here are 8 tools from it you can use

(or be on guard against) Image
Background:

The politician Catiline campaigned on a populist ticket (debt relief, property redistribution)

But he also had many allies among the Roman nobles.

When he failed to be elected consul 2 times,

He started planning a Revolution. Image
Cicero was consul that year. (63 BC)

He campaigned to beat Catiline in the election.

Then he found out about Catiline's secret revolutionary plans

His First Oration Against Catiline aims to expose Catiline and thwart him

In front of the Senate

(Cost of Glory Podcast #67): Image
Read 15 tweets
Jul 28, 2023
Were the Spartans losers?

A response to Devereaux's claim

That we should stop looking to the Spartans for inspiration: Image
@bretDevereaux has criticized the Spartans at great length on his blog,
"A collection of Unmitigated Pedantry."

He is admirably learned, but this may be a case of missing the forest for the trees.

There are also some misleading and wrong claims in his FP article. Image
Let's take a closer look at a few.

1). Devereaux says Spartans were "famously very poor at littoral operations."

famously?

They won one of the greatest naval upsets in history against Athens at Aegospotami (405 BC),

...in a brilliant littoral operation. Image
Read 21 tweets

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