Why This Page Matters

The 50s BC see the slow-motion collapse of the Republic into civil war. The Conference of Luca in 56 BC renews the triumvirate and forces Cicero into political silence. Caesar's conquest of Gaul creates an army personally loyal to him. The deaths of Julia and Crassus remove the bonds holding Caesar and Pompey together. By 50 BC, the Republic faces an impossible choice: allow Caesar to return to Rome with his army and his ambitions, or force a confrontation that means civil war. The structural failure is complete.

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