How do you think the founders of the roman republic would have viewed the roman empire
I'll be glad to comment on YOUR answer.
The founders of the Roman Republic would likely have had mixed opinions on the Roman Empire that emerged later. It is important to note that the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire were two distinct phases in Roman history.
The founders of the Roman Republic, such as Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, established a government without a king, promoting the ideals of republican virtues, citizenship, and civic participation. They believed in a decentralized system of power where the Senate and elected magistrates held authority.
Given this foundation, the founders would probably have been concerned about the rise of an emperor and the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual. The Roman Empire, under emperors like Augustus, centralized power and shifted the political structure away from the republican ideals of the founders. This shift may have been seen as a betrayal of the principles they championed.
However, it is worth mentioning that some founders, like Julius Caesar, were ambitious and sought to expand Roman territories. In this sense, they might have admired the consolidation of power and expansion of the Roman Empire. But overall, the founders' primary focus was on maintaining a republican system that valued checks and balances and distributed power among a ruling elite.
To understand their perspective more accurately, one could delve into the works of ancient Roman historians like Livy or Cicero who wrote about the early Republic. Additionally, examining the primary sources, such as the Roman Constitution (known as the Twelve Tables) and the writings of the founders themselves, can provide insights into their beliefs and intentions.