ESSAY - CENTRISM - Caeser, Rome and the Vikings.

Centrism Essay contrasting Caeser Rome and the Vikings.

Centrism �"

 

The political philosophy of avoiding the extremes of right wing ultra-conservatism and left wing extreme liberalism by taking a moderate position.

Or

The state or condition of having (a specified thing) as the centre or focus of attention, efforts, etc.

 

As humans we tend to take different sides or have particular opinions about certain events in our lives. To be a centrist one must look between the popular or extreme view and then choose the other less dominant or less extreme option. Centrism has dominated political ideology and people with Centrist view points have existed all throughout ancient times as well as in the twenty first century. Ancient Rome is one of the most remarkable civilisations in the world and its political influence is still felt today is however, its most famous ruler Julius Caesar did not follow centrist values going from the extreme of the republic to another extreme with the one man Empire; the Vikings although do show evidence of a society with centrist beliefs, events in history pointing toward these views. By exploring the political changes brought about by the great ruler, Julius Caesar, as he converted the Republic to an Empire it is possible to see how he did use the concept of political centrism to his own ends. In comparison the use of centrism of centrist values adopted by the Vikings of Wales offers a highly contrasting view of this political ideology. 

Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC in Rome to Gaius Julius Caesar and Aurelia. His family was not a wealthy one; however, in later life Caesar was very successful in all political and military fields. Although Caesar became a fierce and great ruler, his climb up the ladder of success was a long and often tedious process. His political life did not truly start until 77BC when he entered the court playing the part of what modern western society call a lawyer. He tried to persecute Gnaeus Cornelius Dollabella a Consul in 81BC who had extorted a large sum of money from Greek cities. The case was lost however, Caesars reputation as a great spokes person and a politician began to flourish. In 76BC Caesar won a case and then proceeded to Rhodes to further his political learning. Much happened between his exploration of Rhodes and the end of the republic however, to explore Caesars use or non-use of political centrism it is important to focus on the events in his life surrounding the transition of the Republic to the Empire.

 

One of history’s great lessons is that change is constant and inevitable, and nowhere is this more evident than in the life and times of Julius Caesar. Rome is one of the most renowned ancient cities in the world and has bred some of the most famous rulers from Julius Caesar to Augustus and the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The city of Rome was originally founded in 753BC when a monarchy was put in place, seven kings ruling the nation. However, the monarchy was replaced by a Republican Government when the last of the seven kings was overthrown. The Republic became the political extreme for five hundred years, moving down the political continuum from the extreme monarchy towards left wing liberalism, until Julius Caesar put his name in the book of history in big bold letters by changing the political persuasion of the Republic and moving back to the ideology of right wing conservatism and dictatorial rule.

Republican society followed the principle that more than one leader would be appointed so that a ruler could not gain absolute power and therefore overturn the liberal social structure of the Republic. These leaders were the consuls, the senate, and the plebians. Each group of people had different levels of power, the Senate being the principal power for the time. The Republic laid down the traditions and institutions of Government, although none of this was written down formally. ‘The Republic in its early form was largely a transfer of power from the monarch to the wealthiest classes in Rome, and this dominance of Roman law, finances, and foreign policy by the patricians instantly produced resentment among the plebeians; from its inception in 509 BC to its demise at the hands of Caesar in the middle of the first century BC’. (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ROME/REPUBLIC.HTM) While all groups wanted social and political equality the very nature of humanity with its quest/desire for absolute power made this impossible, especially in Ancient Rome.

The Roman Empire succeeded the Roman Republic (510 BC �" 1st century BC), which had been weakened by the conflict between Gaius Marius and Sulla and the civil war of Julius Caesar against Pompey the Great. It was the next step in the political evolution of Rome and Julius Caesar was the puppet master pulling all of the strings. Many believe that the Empire began to form when Julius Caesar was given the role of perpetual dictator during the Republic in 44 BC. Meaning he held the title of dictator for life, this was an odd decision in the eyes of the Roman people because usually dictators did not stay in power for more than six months. Looking at this and Caesar’s eventual rise to power it is evident that this was a mile stone in completing his vision for a one man government. The Empire followed the idea that one man made the decisions; he was in charge of military, finance and politics as well as having the power to execute those he believed guilty of sin.

This evolution of Empire under the rule of a single leader moved Caesar away from centrist ideology and down the continuum towards a right wing dictatorship.

 

 

The radical change from the Roman Republic to the Empire was a decision made by Julius Caesar when others did not have the power to challenge him. Caesar was a man of vision and power though looking at his political life it is plain to see that he was not a centrist. Moving the Republic where everyone had the chance of some equality to the Empire where one man ruled over all was not a moderate decision. The Republic to Empire was an extreme change and lacked centrist principles. Julius Caesar was not a centrist in the least, the social and political change he engineered reflected his radical beliefs and show that centrism was non-existent in the city of Rome at the time. The civilisation often least associated with political centrism, the Vikings, provides an interesting contrast to Caesar’s Rome. Upon closer examination many of the myths surrounding this society can be dispelled.

 

When people say the word ‘Viking’ immediately thoughts of pillaging, plundering, killing the men and raping the women race through the brain. However, were Vikings really as violent as historical myths make them out to be? The Vikings that inhabited Wales approximately 780AD in South West areas including St David's, Haverfordwest and the Gower did not take over Wales as forcefully as many believe.

They did maintain quite a rough reputation though, the Scandinavian Norsemen's attacks on rich and defenceless monasteries lowering the vitality of the Celtic Church.

‘However, the Vikings never took control of Wales or overcame the powers of the Welsh kings. Notably, Rhodri Mawr, ruler of Gwynedd, defeated the Danes in 856, a famous victory which earned him the epithet 'the Great'.’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/dark_ages/pages/vikings.shtml) Also in England, Ireland and Scotland the Vikings created Kingdoms and settlements that contributed to the development of  political ideology of the time (780AD �" 1100 approximate) in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales ascending to modern times. In these countries there is evidence that points to the colonist Vikings having centrist values however, many believe that they came to power only by the sword. Place names and archaeological artefacts have been discovered to be of Viking origin in Ireland, Scotland and mostly Wales. ‘Place names are an invaluable source of information on the extent of Scandinavian influence, and their distribution mirrors the geographical spread of colonisation known from historical and archaeological evidence. In England, for instance, Scandinavian names are concentrated within the Danelaw, the area of northern and eastern England that was in Danish hands.’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/colonists_01.shtml)

 Examining this and the Viking artefacts discovered in Scandinavian graves it is evident that the Vikings had a deep rooted influence on the local inhabitants and suggests a certain respect for the Viking people.

The non-violent integration of the Vikings and the native people as well as evidence that the Viking people were given parts of the country while original rulers stayed in power implies that the Vikings of Wales held centrist values as they did not over run the native people with violence and their views but adapted and changed until they themselves were part of regular society.

 

Examining the evidence it is possible to see that the Vikings were indeed centrists. They did not transfer from one extreme to another extreme; they gradually fitted into society creating a very moderate position for themselves. The Vikings followed the rules of the time adding their own laws and even kept some of the rulers that were in place during the take over. The Vikings of Wales were, unlike Julius Caesar a society that followed centrist beliefs and were very much centrists.

 

Julius Caesar believed in a one man Government, he liked change and used his own power to make sure that change happened. He was an extremist who changed a political outline that had been in place for five hundred years to his own political outline. The Republic contained equality and tradition whereas the Empire was a show of power for Caesar where only one man ruled and others were deemed somewhat unworthy.

The Vikings however, allowed the Government in place to continue ruling only making slight changes in Government. This is a show of centrism as the take over was not extreme. However, it needs to be questioned if the Vikings had the intellectual capacity to follow through with an extreme change in Government like Julius Caesar. What ever the case, intellect or not the Vikings of Wales were Centrists and Julius Caesar was not.

 Written by Mary-Clare Merchant