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What leads a Republic to fail? By the second century BC, Rome already had a long and proud tradition of independence, but growing wealth and military success brought with them greater competition for the glory – and the spoils – of victory. Popular politics, infighting among the Roman elite, and the rise of private armies resulted in a series of civil wars and the emergence of such dominant figures as Marius, Sulla, Pompey and Julius Caesar. But the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March 44 BC led to a bitter struggle over his legacy; and the age of Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra ushered in the final transformation of Rome, from Republic to Empire.
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