How A Republic Dies: 11 Powerful Lessons From History That Will Open Up Your Eyes
What history tells us about the end of democracy.
“A Republic, if you can keep it.” — Benjamin Franklin
A small group of senators and other magistrates is holed up in the Capitol. Angry mobs are causing carnage outside, clamoring to get in. After several rounds of political violence, deadlock, and even death, things have gotten this far. The pressure is on, the stakes are high.
The year is 100 BC, and these events are unfolding in Rome. The mighty Roman Republic had been the most powerful country in the world for the past hundred years, its governmental institutions admired far and wide. Yet, something is starting to give.
The men who barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill were Saturninus, a senator and tribune of the plebs, and some of his followers. His former ally, Gaius Marius, the strongman of Rome and the repeat holder of the highest office in the Republic — the consulship, had been tasked by the Senate to capture the renegades and bring back order.
Knowing that they would not be able to hold out, Saturninus surrendered. Assuring them that their lives were going to be spared, Marius locked up the men in the building of the…
