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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3 page paper discusses Tacitus' portrayal of the Principate as a thinly disguised monarchy and relates the techniques he uses to persuade the reader of his point of view. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MH11_MHtacitus.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
while this was Augustus perspective, in truth the leader simply utilized his autobiography as a means of propaganda, creating a message of peace and equality while essentially developing a monarchy.
Tacitus provided a number of examples, from the foundations of leadership leading into his reign to definitions of the elements of the Principate, as a means of showing that
Augustus created a thinly disguised monarchy. Augustus claimed that he had restored the Republic and that he was praised so wholeheartedly for creating balance and peace based on
particular freedoms. In fact, Augustus maintained that the Republic never actually fell, and instead shifts in the method for governing had become an essential part of a progression
from past leaderships. In challenging the ideas set forth by Augustus, Tacitus offered a number of examples of the link between government process and changing conditions in the Republic
that showed a growing level of leadership and the focus on a single monarch hidden behind the seeming force of the Senate. Tacitus clearly believed that Augustuss assertions about
his role as a leader and his subsequent successes in moving away from hegemony were defined as a part of Augustus self-aggrandizing propaganda (Elsner, 1996, p. 14). Augustus had
successfully brought together many of the forces that could lead to dissent against a dictatorial leader under the guise of the Republic. Tacitus argued that Augustus "seduced the army
with gifts, the people with grain and everyone else with the charms of peace" and because of past experiences, the people became compliant while Augusts gained power (Tacitus, Annals, 1.1.1).
In fact, it was Tacitus claim that Augustus did not simply take over political elements, but instead that he was able to usurp the duties of the Senate, magistrates,
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