Roman Empire
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junglebungle
Who was not opposed to the unification of Italy?
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replied to:  junglebungle
thejapanfan
Replied to:  Who was not opposed to the unification of Italy?
Marcus Livius Drusus,tribune of the people in 91BC.He tried to legislate to award the full Roman citizenship to all of Italy,and nearly succeeded.His prominent supporters were Marcus Aemilius Scaurus,Lucius Licinius Crassus the orator,and Gaius Marius.Drusus embarked on a full program of legislation.He intended to strengthen the senate against the equites,readmit senators to juries(Gaius Gracchus took this privilege from senators in 122BC),and provide state subsidised cheap grain and land for the Roman urban poor.He intended to pay for this by devaluing the currency.The enemies of Drusus were Lucius Marcius Philippus(junior consul in 91BC) and Quintus Servilius Caepio(praetor in 91BC and Drusus'ex brother in law)Drusus' program passed into law,but was then invalidated by Philippus on religious grounds.Drusus pressed on with the enfranchisement of Italy,but this law would have so diluted the power of the Roman First Class that Drusus was assassinated in his home on the eve of victory.It seems that Drusus had inspired Italy to hope,because the Social War(91 87BC)broke out immediately.Scholars are undecided on Drusus' motives;had he succeeded,all of Italy would have been in his clientele and an oath was administered to this effect,however,he could have seen the immediacy of civil war and may have been trying to avert it.What is certain is that the Italians were desperate for enfranchisement as this would have protected them from the depredations of powerful Romans;their land was taken,they had to pay high taxes,contribute soldiers for Rome's wars with no benefit and were generally oppressed in all the usual ways.Ironically,it is the granting of the citizenship which allowed Rome to win the Social War.
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