What's the difference between the Roman Republic and its successor, the Roman Empire?
by 
wickedwillie
ANSWERS: 3
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The Roman Republic was run by the the Roman Senate which was elected from the citizens of Rome not unlike the American senate The Roman Empire was ruled by a single despot or emporer. so the difference was Democracy and Fuedalism
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The Roman Republic was run by the people for the people, which is very similar to the way that the Athenian (the big power before Rome) state was run. The Empire was run by a Emperor. Whlie the word Emperor has negative connotations in the modern world, it was not always the case in the ancient world. Many Roman Emperors, like Marcus Aurelius and Augustus were very good leaders and did much for the people and the Empire. Rome really came onto the scene at the same time it became an Empire.
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Rome was categorically not an Oligarchy. An Oligarchy (to be brief and general) is an "administration" of a few that rules the many and it is done with their own money and means, which means they make all law and policy and in much the way a group of special interest groups might. If for example, they wanted to go to war they would first have to determine if they could financially make it a viable option--they would have to build ships for example. The Republic had a senate, which would make it not an Oligarchy. That's not to say that there were not oligarchic type influences and tendencies, but so far as nomenclature goes, it was not. Greece on the other hand was ruled by an Oligarchy at various times in its existence as well as a by a group called the "Thirty Tyrants." Later Draconian law was the first time a constitution was actually written down in Athens. Aristotle writes a great deal on this, in his aptly named, Athenian Constitution.
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