[BroJoeK]

sima_yi: "I wasn't referring to the fall of the Empire, but rather the fall of the Republic."

Ah, so we're talking about the Ides of March, not Attila the Hun?
Then my bad, and I agree with the analysis here.

But would also add a thought: the Roman Republic was a victim of its own success.
It simply was not intended or designed to rule the largest, most diverse empire yet seen.
And the old Republic did not entirely disappear, for example, the Senate continued long after Rome's empire had disappeared.

[sima_yi]

It simply was not intended or designed to rule the largest, most diverse empire yet seen.

I agree with that 100%.

For anyone interested in the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, I highly recommend Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. It is, of course, historical fiction, but she has done PhD thesis worthy background research.