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Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell into Tyranny Paperback – Illustrated, August 25, 2020

by Edward J. Watts (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 357 ratings
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Learn why the Roman Republic collapsed -- and how it could have continued to thrive -- with this insightful history from an award-winning author.

In Mortal Republic, prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts offers a new history of the fall of the Roman Republic that explains why Rome exchanged freedom for autocracy. For centuries, even as Rome grew into the Mediterranean's premier military and political power, its governing institutions, parliamentary rules, and political customs successfully fostered negotiation and compromise.

By the 130s BC, however, Rome's leaders increasingly used these same tools to cynically pursue individual gain and obstruct their opponents. As the center decayed and dysfunction grew, arguments between politicians gave way to political violence in the streets. The stage was set for destructive civil wars -- and ultimately the imperial reign of Augustus.

The death of Rome's Republic was not inevitable. In Mortal Republic, Watts shows it died because it was allowed to, from thousands of small wounds inflicted by Romans who assumed that it would last forever.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    August 25, 2020
  4. Dimensions
    5.55 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1541646487
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1541646483
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Watts describes how the rise of an economic élite and increasing inequality brought about populist sentiment that was easily exploited by nefarious politicians. The parallels to the present day are striking."―New Yorker

"If the central analogy that animates Mortal Republic is correct, the current challenge to America's political system is likely to persist long after its present occupant has left the White House."―New York Times Book Review

"Watts chronicles the ways the republic, with a population once devoted to national service and personal honor, was torn to shreds by growing wealth inequality, partisan gridlock, political violence and pandering politicians, and argues that the people of Rome chose to let their democracy die by not protecting their political institutions, eventually turning to the perceived stability of an emperor instead of facing the continued violence of an unstable and degraded republic."―Smithsonian

"Mortal Republic provides excellent insights into how the Republic became the Empire, and more broadly it speaks to the ever-present threat of centralized power. The more a civilization centralizes, the more powerful a central government becomes."―New York Journal of Books

"Readers will find many parallels to today's fraught political environment: the powerful influence of money in politics, a "delegitimized establishment," and "the emergence of a personality-driven, populist politicking." Watts ably and accessibly...covers a lot of ground in a manner accessible to all readers, including those with little knowledge of Roman history. This well-crafted analysis makes clear the subject matter's relevance to contemporary political conversations."―Publishers Weekly

"In a timely book of ancient history, an eminent classicist looks at Rome's decline from representative government to corrupt empire... Given that mistrust of institutions is a key ingredient in the collapse of republican rule, as we are witnessing daily, the lesson is pointed. An engaging, accessible history that, read between the lines, offers commentary on today's events as well as those of two millennia past."―Kirkus

About the Author

Edward J. Watts holds the Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair and is professor of history at the University of California, San Diego. The author and editor of several prize-winning books, including The Final Pagan Generation, he lives in Carlsbad, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Reprint edition (August 25, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1541646487
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1541646483
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 357 ratings

About the author

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Edward Jay Watts

Edward Jay Watts

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Edward Watts is the Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair in Byzantine History at UC San Diego. He writes about political and religious change in the Roman Republic, Roman Empire, and Byzantine Empire. His work has been featured in the Economist, the New York Times, the New Yorker, Time, Smithsonian, and NPR. He also maintains a YouTube channel, Rome's Eternal Decline, featuring videos devoted to Roman and Byzantine history.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
357 global ratings
Wonderful
5 Stars
Wonderful
I'm on my second read of this book, first time was an audio book from the local library.It is just as captivating this time as it was the first time. Great summary of Republican Rome from around the time aggressive expansion started to Augustus.Over the last few years, I read or listened to probably 2 dozen popular history volumes on Rome and this one is in the top tier. It doesn't get bogged down on details, but also hits all the main events and figures that move the story along. It helps that this book covers (person opinion) the most interesting and engaging period of Roman history and does so in a way that is accessible to anyone with or without prior knowledge of the topic.Anyone looking for introduction to to Rome or to brush up on the story of the Fall of the Republic it even just anyone interested in history should make sure to put this concise one volume banger on their list.
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Top reviews from the United States

Marlin
5.0 out of 5 stars I was pleasantly surprised to find such a profound book to also be a real page turner.
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2020
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This is a serious book detailing the fall of the Roman Republic. What really surprised me was how entertaining it was at the same time. By the end of the book you are forming your own opinions as to what contributed to the failure of the Republic. It is really surprising how much is known and makes a real contrast with books about the fall of Athens where details are few and far between.
In the end the readers can find themselves feeling relief at the arrival of stability with the dictatorship. That awareness alone of how bad politics and government can get is reason enough to read the book. That you walk away with a detailed awareness of how a Republic can give up self-governance in exchange for security from domestic chaos is a rather sobering but priceless bonus.
5 people found this helpful
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WisdomQuest
5.0 out of 5 stars Rome Can Teach us, If We Cast Aside the Partisans and Political Fundamentalists
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
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Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too." Unfortunately, this advice to pay attention to history is often ignored. Watts book traces not the usual fall of the western empire, but the fall of republic when it turned to dictators and emperors.

It is interesting to see reviewers draw parallels to the modern day, particularly in the U.S. I have to wonder if they read this book, or read it closely. They allege the Roman march to dictatorship mimics the current president (Trump) ad his politics and supportes.

However, consider when Watts writes, "The Roman Republic did not encourage its leaders to seek complete and total victory. It was not designed to force one side to accept everything the other wanted." Politicians on the "left" call for this very thing, even as this is written. Also, Watts writes that the Roman Republic, "...committed to working out their disputes in the political arena...rather than through violence in the streets." Who has precipitated the majority of political violence in 2021, and which politicians refused to stop it? The "left."

It's a shame political fundamentalists have become so cultic in their allegiance to their party, that even when a book like this clearly explains the failings of their exalted leaders, they manage to rationalize it's the other guys. To be certain, this fundamentalism exists on both sides. The "left vs. right" narrative is a distraction and a tactic. The catastrophic debt, endless wars, and rampant disregard for the law, has been condoned and and fostered by both parties. These things — the very same that brought down the Roman Republic, and later the empire — wouldn't exist if both political parties didn't allow them. Ultimately, the fault lies with the people.

People need to wake up to this and understand the lessons of Rome. As Watts writes, "[A Republic]...lives and dies solely on the basis of choices made by those in charge of its custody...These men...chose not to save it."
6 people found this helpful
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David Armstrong
4.0 out of 5 stars Critical thesis supported by overwhelming detail
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021
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Too much detail, but an extremely important and timely topic. The author's point is that the Republic of Rome died not by a single fatal blow but from a thousand little cuts.
2 people found this helpful
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Mimi
5.0 out of 5 stars Professor Watts stuns with this succinct account of Rome's fall
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2019
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Professor Watts crafts an accessible storyline that details (as the title suggests) Rome's denaturing. Watts highlights the disturbing trends that lead up to fall, but leaves the reader put the pieces together and tie this trend to the modern political environment.

I personally appreciated how Watts did not get overly political but instead let the reader form their own conclusions from the facts he presented.

Overall, well-written and quite interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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Marty Nader
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2020
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While reading this book, it was hard not to imagine some future author writing a similar book about the Republic of the United States. Mortal Republic does a fantastic job of showing how republics fall slowly over time, suffering thousands of cuts and a few mortal blows. Republics are built on ideas, norms, and institutions. All of these things can erode, rot, and be discarded when they no longer deliver what is expected. “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Received in good condition
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2023
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Great book. The fall of the Roman Republic is a more important an analogy for today than the fall of the Roman Empire.
One person found this helpful
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T. H.
3.0 out of 5 stars The title was the best part.
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2020
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I missed the analysis I expected would be part of any work with such a provocative title. Instead it provides a rather dry and near colorless recitation of events, and unfairly and inaccurately in my view, lays far too much blame on Sulla for acting as he did. Was he blameworthy? Of course, as was Caesar. But I had expected more treatment and perhaps insight on the erosion of the stable and sober middle class, and the rise of the city mob; the realization that once Marius had weaponized the grain-dependent city mobs to fill legions, that would never existed in such numbers but for slavery and the slave-worked farms, that a Sulla-like reaction was inevitable. Mobs unmotivated by an interest in stable politics, honorable decisions and long term benefit were perfect for someone like Marius. Instead of going in depth o that, the author seems perplexed that Sulla acted as he did. That said I read it all, and do not regret buying it.
8 people found this helpful
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Richard C Childers
4.0 out of 5 stars worth while
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
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Revealing
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Top reviews from other countries

Barry O'Connor
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2022
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Easy read and gives great insight into the political intrigue of the late Republic
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Client Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfull
Reviewed in France on September 9, 2021
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This is not just an history book but also a courageous work which denounce the lack of political responsability, of a certain faith in a collective progress, of a difficult but necessary belief that freedom must prevail for all in a society without great social and intellectual inequalities, that drives all organised democratic societies to their end.
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Vlad Thelad
5.0 out of 5 stars Contemporary relevant
Reviewed in Canada on March 15, 2019
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It is a coincidence that I finished reading this book on this date, the Ides of March. What is certainly no coincidence is how our very contemporary debates on institutions and their resilience, the proverbial checks and balances, the actions of politicians, the emergence of populists and demagogues, and the use of violence as a political tool, among others, can all find historical grounding in the events of more than two millennia ago. This is an easy to read book, a good starting point to familiarize oneself with the history of the Roman republic, focusing on its last century leading up to autocracy under the first Emperor, Augustus. I think it would appeal to students, or any reader first approaching the era, given its familiar cast of names, abundant political action and intrigue, and a myriad of potential lessons to be explored.
One person found this helpful
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Meir
5.0 out of 5 stars In the time
Reviewed in Germany on March 10, 2019
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Some books, come in times, as prophets, one of them , this one, the historian Parkison, in his 2016 The common Cause. Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution, had two arguments, one was because the colony had an independent networks for News Paper, could propagated their own ideas, and secondly, specially north suppressed their view in Slavery to build consensus. Here is the similarity and complexity with Rome, the analysis by Mortal Republic, Rome was built by agreement of the elite (senate as advisory body and the seven king) and rest population, while early was build in code, the conquest given access to wealth corrupting the agreement creating class conflict, and Rome by gain control of the Peninsula, creating bases for the Social war, the book is about Rome, but speaks of today
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Brett Bujeya
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely!
Reviewed in Australia on December 8, 2020
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Given what appears to be happening in Western societies around the world at the moment, history may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes. The Romans systematically dismantled the checks and balances and gradually went from a republic to an empire.
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