The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States

An American senator compares the institutions and trajectories of ancient Rome and the United States, tracing how political structures, social integration, territorial expansion, and provincial administration contributed to republican strain. The book surveys Roman assemblies, colonization, and the rise of economic inequality, follows reform efforts beginning with the Gracchi and the civil wars of Marius and Sulla, and treats the roles of Pompey, Cicero, and Julius Caesar before describing the republic's disintegration. It concludes with a direct comparison to contemporary American conditions, arguing that wealth disparity, factionalism, and erosion of constitutional norms are recurrent dangers that merit attention.