[RobbyS]

What is it with people and Rome? The “Empire” was the salvation of Rome, if one is referring to the period 30 BC to 180 AD. Augustus and the later Emperors turned Rome from a great slum with a few public buildings into the
great metropolis of the Empire, outstripping even Alexandria.

[af_vet_rr]

What is it with people and Rome?

It's both a great lesson in representative politics (as representative as you can get at the time), as well as a great lesson in everything that can go wrong with a government. The Roman Empire (and Greek politics) contributed a lot to our own political system (even if it was "don't do this, the Romans did and it screwed them up).

I'd throw out as well - instead of bread and circuses, think welfare and entitlement programs. The Roman government tried to buy off the people, make them think everything was okay or keep them happy, just as we do now with various entitlement programs, when just as the Roman government could not afford it, we cannot afford it either.