Strongly-held values can stabilize a society. They can also splinter it. In Restraint, Conflict, and the Fall of the Roman Republic, Paul Belonick explores the moral paradoxes of Republican Rome. He describes how aristocrats engaged in "performative politics," aggressively seeking self-advancement with a competitiveness that fueled the expansion of an empire. But, paradoxically, Roman orators and authors also emphasized the need for self-control, moderation, and temperance. Scholars have long suggested that this moral obsession with self-control was merely a social marker of aristocratic status, but Belonick argues that the Roman focus on self-control solidified their peculiar, competitive, semi-formal government. Belonick then considers how values of restraint could both stabilize and de-stabilize Rome's political system. As conflicts arose over how to apply these values to novel circumstances, competitors saw each other as desecrating Republican principles and therefore as targets to be eradicated. Belonick illustrates both sides of the Roman paradox: how values of self-control legitimized the Romans' competition and supported their fluid social structure and political institutions-and then tore the Republic apart. Restraint, Conflict, and the Fall of the Roman Republic presents a fresh perspective on the collapse of one of the most prominent societies in history.

About the Author
Paul Belonick is Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of California Hastings Law School.

Reviews
Belonick's argument is fascinating and timely. He examines how the Roman values of restraint that long served to limit the destructive aspects of competition among the leadership of the Republic gradually broke down, enabling political competition to become destructive to the state. By focusing on the nuances within the language of restraint used by elites, he demonstrates how political rivals could both claim to be acting with restraint when in reality they were doing nothing of the kind. * Fred K. Drogula, Ohio University *
Why did the Roman Republic collapse? Paul Belonick's lively and well-written book offers a fresh perspective on that old question, focusing on how aristocratic norms of deference and self-restraint functioned and malfunctioned over time. This study will engage readers interested in Roman Republican politics, the history of emotions, and the relationship of emotions and values to political action. * Matthew Roller, Johns Hopkins University *
This well-argued work makes a strong case for trusting the primary sources. * Choice *
This well-argued work makes a strong case for trusting the primary sources...Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty. * Choice *
[A] stimulating book. All in all, Belonick has called attention to an important if often overlooked aspect of the political culture of the Roman Republic. His book deserves serious consideration by anyone who works on the period. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
This book makes the case that scholars should pay more attention to ancient claims that the political dissolution of the Roman Republic resulted from a breakdown of morality...Belonick has called attention to an important if often overlooked aspect of the political culture of the Roman Republic. His book deserves serious consideration by anyone who works on the period. * Andrew Gallia, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197662663
Author Paul Belonick
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions(mm) 162mm * 244mm * 21mm