Provocative thoughts

[eaglesurvivor]

The Romans did not have a master plan for the creation of an empire; as it
had been in Italy, much of their continued expansion was opportunistic, in
response to perceived threats to their security. The more they expanded, the
more threats to their security appeared on the horizon, involving them in
yet more conflicts. Indeed, the Romans liked to portray themselves as
declaring war only for defensive reasons or to protect allies. That is only
part of the story, however. It is likely, as some historians have recently
suggested, that at some point a group of Roman aristocratic leaders emerged
who favored expansion both for the glory it offered and for the economic
benefits it provided. Certainly, by the second century B.C., aristocratic
senators perceived new opportunities for lucrative foreign commands,
enormous spoils of war, and an abundant supply of slave labor for their
growing landed estates. By that same time, the destruction of Corinth and
Carthage indicate that Roman imperialism had become more arrogant and brutal
as well. Rome's foreign success also had enormous repercussions for the
internal development of the Roman Republic.


- Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: A Brief History 1991