Student Question
What was Cicero's historical significance?
Quick answer:
Cicero, a Roman statesman and orator, lived during the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. His historical significance lies in his efforts to address the Republic's crises by advocating for the "concord of the orders," aiming to reduce class conflict. Despite his attempts, Cicero could not prevent the shift towards imperialism and was ultimately killed for opposing this transformation. His work remains influential in understanding Roman political thought.
Cicero was a Roman statesman and orator. He lived from 106 to 43 BCE.
Cicero, then, was alive at the time when the Roman Republic was crumbling and about to turn into the Roman Empire. Cicero was most important for the fact that he tried to analyze and put a halt to the problems that were plaguing the Republic. Cicero wanted to return to a system of the "concord of the orders" in Rome. He wanted to end the sort of class warfare that led to such things as the attempted coup headed by Catiline.
However, Cicero was not able to make this happen. Rome moved towards an imperial system and Cicero was killed because of his outspoken opposition to this change.
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