A Brief Introduction to the History of the Roman State:
The Roman Empire is a primarily Greek (but Latin speaking at first) nation whose origins can be traced back to the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Originally located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to become one of the largest empires in the ancient world with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world's population) and covering 6.5 million square kilometers (2.5 million sq mi) during its height between the first and second centuries AD.
During the first 12 centuries of existence, Roman civilization shifted from a monarchy to a classical republic to an increasingly autocratic empire. Through conquest and assimilation, it came to dominate Southern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, parts of Northern Europe, and parts of Eastern Europe. Rome was preponderant throughout the Mediterranean region and was one of the most powerful entities of the ancient world. It is often grouped into "Classical Antiquity" together with ancient Greece, and their similar cultures and societies are known as the Greco-Roman world.
The Romans are still around today, albeit with a different language and culture from the Romans of classical antiquity. Ancient Roman society contributed greatly to government, law, politics, engineering, art, literature, architecture, technology, warfare, religion, language, society and more in the Western world. A civilization highly developed for its time, Ancient Rome professionalized and greatly expanded its military and created a system of government called res publica, the inspiration for modern republics such as the United States and France. It achieved impressive technological and architectural feats, such as the construction of an extensive system of aqueducts and roads, as well as large monuments, palaces, and public facilities.
By the end of the Republic, Rome had conquered the lands around the Mediterranean and beyond: its domain extended from the Atlantic to Arabia and from the mouth of the Rhine to North Africa. The Roman Empire emerged under the leadership of Augustus Caesar. Under Trajan, the Empire reached its territorial peak. Republican mores and traditions started to decline during the imperial period, with civil wars becoming a common ritual for a new emperor's rise. States, such as Palmyra, temporarily divided the Empire in a third-century crisis. Soldier emperors reunified it, by dividing the empire between Western and Eastern halves.
Plagued by internal instability and attacked by various migrating peoples, the western part of the empire broke up into independent kingdoms in the 5th century. This splintering is a landmark historians use to divide the ancient period of universal history from the pre-mediaeval "Dark Ages" of Europe.
The Eastern Roman Empire survived this crisis and was governed from Constantinople after the division of the Empire. It comprised Greece, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt. Despite the later loss of Syria and Egypt to the Arab-Islamic Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire has continued to survive, more than 1,000 years after its western counterpart has fallen. The empire faced a particularly dangerous period in the late 11th century, now known as the Seljuk crisis. This was a period when Seljuk Turkic people from Asia invaded the eastern boundaries of the empire. However, the empire weathered the storm, primarily due to the brilliance of its emperor, Romanos IV Diogenes, who defeated the Turks decisively at Manzikert, and forced them back across the Euphrates, this time for good.
The empire faced a long period of prosperity and growth after this, only ending with the devastating mongol invasions of the 14th century. These too however weren't enough to drag the empire down, and it promptly recovered, and halted every invasion, either through military prowess or through excellent diplomacy. However despite the empire surviving the invasions, their preoccupation with fighting the mongols led to their falling behind western Europe. They became a backwards state, looked down upon by the fledgling states of western Europe, as young men would laugh and mock an old crippled man. The empire continued this way for some time, watching by from the east as the nations of western Europe explored the world, and build their colonial empires. As trade passing through overland between Asia and Europe declined, cities like Constantinople and Antioch declined.
It wasn't until the mid 17th century that the empire began to modernize, looking to the west for inspiration. The empire began to experience many reforms, transforming every aspect of society as the empire began to change from the oriental empire of old to a shining European state, modern and fresh with ideas. The empire soon became a great power, and a major force in European politics. Soon afterwards, the empire's orthodox brother Russia, looking at its neighbor to the south, and its great reforms, began to modernize as well, led by its great czar, Peter the Great. In the early 19th century, the empire played a major role in defeating napoleon, and helped redraw the map of Europe afterwards, playing a major part in the negotiations at the congress of Vienna. Due to this, the empire became a major part of the so called "concert of Europe" and one of the 6 main great powers, also known as the "big 6". These included, Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and of course, the Roman Empire. The empire continued to play a major role in continental politics, helping negotiate many treaties the averted all out war, and keeping the balance of power.
However Europe grew more unstable, as the fledgling states of Germany and Italy threatened the balance of power set at the congress. Eventually, the spark was set off by a Croatian nationalist, who seeking independence for Croatia from the Austro-Hungarian empire, assassinated the heir to that empire's throne, setting off a chain reaction that started war. Austria accused the roman empire of putting the man up to the assassination. The war went on 4 four bloody years, and eventually ending in the allies victory.
The roman empire was not awarded territory, despite being an ally, and a major contributor to the victory.A large independent Croatia was created, which was friendly with Britain and France. Anger grew in the empire, at this seeming stiff from the allies who they had fought so hard for. The empire canceled all its treaties with the other allies, and entered a period of isolation, suspicious of the other nations of Europe, and being rocked by internal struggles between the right and left wings. Meanwhile, the empire's relations with the soviet union and Croatia shrank. As far as the soviets went, it was due to the communist leadership's abandonment of the orthodox faith, an outrage to the deeply religious Romans. The communist ideology was deeply anti-religious, believing religion to be an obstruction to the socialist state. That the orthodox church was controlled by the roman empire, and abandoning that church would sever the last real tie of subservience Russia had to the roman state was merely a bonus. Meanwhile, the Croatians were eyeing the western portions of the roman controlled Balkans, seeking to create a greater Croatia. Tensions grew continuously, until in 1922, the issue became a war.
The Roman-Croatian War was a complete victory for the Croatians, who quickly seized the initiative, who routed the imperial armies, that were exhausted, and had yet to recover from the great war. It did not help the empire that the western powers were sympathetic to the Croatians, who angry at the Romans for their breaking of the alliance binding them to the allies, provided the Croatians with material assistance, as well as military advisers. The Croatian victory was so complete that even they themselves were stunned. At the treaty of Bucharest, the empire was forced to cede all of roman Montenegro, as well as huge portions of western Serbia. The most stunning loss for the empire, was the loss of the city of Belgrade, known in Greek as Singidouon. This city had been part of the empire since 989, when it was captured by the Emperor Basil II. The city had been an important part of the empire, being the 5th largest city in the empire in 1922. Its forts had been famous, being considered the western end of the empire, and a major point of defense for the army. In 1914, it had been the forts of Belgrade that had stemmed the tide of the Austrian empire's armies. The loss of this city was not only an economic blow, it was a military one, and the loss of Belgrade seriously compromised the national defense. Adding to the insult was that Croatia immediately moved its capitol to Belgrade. The empire's citizens, and its national pride demanded revenge, but all the empire could do so far was sit back and lick its wounds.
The empire retreated into isolation, avoiding engaging in international politics, and failing to join the league of nations.The empire began to recover economically from the twin blows of the two wars, but in 1929, the biggest blow arrived, in the form of the great depression. The depression shattered the fragile economic recovery, hurtling the empire, and the rest of Europe into a long economic down spiral. The roman unemployment rate had reached a shocking 28 percent by 1932, and only in Germany was the situation worse. Reforms were attempted in 1934, but these only barely improved the situation.
Meanwhile, the empire's internal struggle between the left and right intensified. More moderate parties shrank, as people flocked to groups of the either extreme right or extreme left. The right wing parties generally believed that the empire had been betrayed by its fellow nations, especially the western allies. What needed to be done they said, was for the empire to destroy the Croatians, who were the greatest enemies of Romans. The Croatians they said, were a vile people, who were constantly scheming to achieve their ultimate goal, the destruction of the roman state. They were said to be a people without any good virtues, and who fed off of the weakness of the Romans. Therefore, the fascists said, the only thing to be done was to destroy the Croatian nation, and assimilate its people into the roman state, and to teach the Croatians good roman virtues and values. Then they said, a war of revenge must be fought against the western nations, and they must be bowed down to the will of the empire. The opposing side, the communists and socialists, believed communism, followed by an alliance with the soviet union, was the only way to redeem the nation and restore the national pride.
These two sides radically different policies led to escalating violence, and culminated in the riots of December 14-17, 1934. During this time, opposing gangs of fanatics from both sides roamed the streets, fighting each other. The capitol fell into anarchy, as violent mobs ran through the capitol. Violent communists broke into the Hagia Sophia, lynching the patriarch, and starting a fire that the fire department struggled to contain for hours. Meanwhile, fascists were committing violent acts of their own. Ethnic Croatians were assaulted, and some were even killed, as well as many communists, Armenians, and Jews. Order was only restored when the Emperor called in the army, which immediately began to clear the rioters. The emperor had some right leaning tendencies, but he was both anti fascist and anti communist. He immediately had both communists and fascists arrested, and over 11,000 people were shot by the secret police. With this over, the emperor appointed a paternal autocrat government, and order was restored. The unrest was largely over, and peace had returned.
And now we come to the present. The empire faces the task of rebuilding, and preparing for the great war that is sure to envelop the world once again. It has many strengths, but many weaknesses too. The empire stands ready, and all t needs is a strong leader.
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