Lessons on Political Violence from the Roman Republic: Part III – Organized, armed gangs will tear apart a political system
As Americans head to the polls, the threat of voter intimidation and violence is greater than at any time in recent memory. Not since the Jim Crow South have voters and the political system faced such threats. The potential damage this could do to our political system should not be underestimated. Here again, the Romans provide us an ominous example. By the 50s BCE, the Roman Republic had been marred by political violence for decades, but something had inherently changed. …