Tully

I think Cicero did what he could as a new man without military power and being outside the inside circle. I think he flip flopped on many things as he was trying to do the politically expedient thing. I think he lost faith in the optimate ruling elite, but not their values and at least he vindicated himself by being steadfast against tyranny (against Antony) at the end. I really think towards the end of his life he finally gave up his false airs and began to speak his mind, finally comfortable with himself and with the prospect of certain death. For all his faults, you can't say that for many at the time.

[i truly wonder what events *wouldn't* fall under a category that is as inclusive as "civil wars, civil unrest, and continued broken faith and trust in the senate and people's assembly". The "80 years" is completely superfluous, and you could just as well make it 8, 80, 800, or 8000 years given how nebulous your category is.] Nothing superflous about the number 80 or the nebulous about the category. 135-45 BC is quite different from 215-135 BC. In 134-45 the Republic fails to adequately deal with the string of individuals and military leaders (patricians and new men, optimates and populares) who contributed to its demise.

[The republic was not completly failing at the time it simply needed modernisation and a change of senators not a dictator] 80 years of civil wars, civil unrest, and continued broken faith and trust in the senate and people's assembly causing prominent men on all sides to "break the laws" and pursue personal honor and survival above the needs of the state -- is this not failing? I think many in the republic had lost hope that agreements between the orders could be maintained. Ceasar was merely yet another symptom of a more troubling cause: the inability of the orders to establish a mechanism for managing internal conflict without arms. Ceasar for all his genius had no real solution. Cicero, for all his genius and insight into governance, proposed solutions that were unworkable. It took Augustus some time 20 years later to find a solution.