I personally think that Rome was better off as an empire than a Republic. As a Republic, Rome had many civil wars and dispute; having a republic created nothing but problems for Rome. The Patricians had been betraying the trust that the Plebians had been relying on, a new class had arisen, the Equestrians, and they had as high as social status as the ruling class, which created another new class, the Nobiles, and turned Rome into a master-slave society, and the Plebians were losing the last of their dignity, foreign slaves were replacing their places in industry and agriculture. The two classes-Plebians and Patricians- were no longer united, creating friction that continuously resulted in civil war and political struggles. Julius Caesar tried to regain trust with the lower class, the Plebians, but in doing so he lost trust in the upper class, which resulted in his demise. However, Though being an empire may have been better for Rome, but it was definitely not the best Rome could be. There were tyrant rulers that damaged Rome and were unfit to rule. Caligula, for instance, was accused of incest with his sister, and trying to get his horse to be a senator. (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Caligula*.html) Claudius, Caligula's successor, was also not the best for Rome. He killed many people, in on instance on a journey to Ostia, though he was well-liked by the people. (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Claudius*.html) Finally, Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian dynasty killed his mother and aunt, as well as burning down a large part of the city. Nero was forced to commit suicide. (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html) Though it seems that emperors were nothing but bad for Rome, single rulers actually did do good things for the city, though not for forever. Marcus Aurelius set up a government that could have been beneficial to Rome, had people not gotten too greedy.
Overall, The Roman Empire seemed to last a lot longer than the Roman Republic, and seemed to be more successful. Though it was not the most successful of ways to control Rome, it seems that Rome had better luck under an empire than under a republic.
Web Citations:
1. "The End of the Roman Republic - The Decline and Fall of Trust." CAIUS-EBOOK.COM HOME PAGE. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. .
2. "Suetonius • Life of Caligula." Sir Thomas Browne. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. .
3. "Suetonius • Life of Claudius." Sir Thomas Browne. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. .
4. "Suetonius • Life of Nero." Sir Thomas Browne. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. .
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