In the year 100 B.C.E., Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome. In the years to follow, Julius Caesar would become one of the greatest rulers of the Roman Empire. Not only was he responsible for shaping the Roman Empire, he did much to shape the future of the Western world. Unfortunately some people believe that it was Caesar who caused the demise of the Roman Republic, which fell hundreds of years later. People may also have a bad opinion of him because of the title of dictator. Unfortunately in our society dictators are always bad and many of us can't accept the fact of a benevolent dictator.
             Before discussing where or not Julius Caesar was a good benevolent ruler it is important to first look at his mindset. He was a patrician ("member of the privileged class of ancient Rome" (http://www.encyclopedia.com)) who looked for personal glory. Although Caesar wasn't the only Roman ruler that acted like this, in fact most of them did.
             While growing up Caesar embraced what was happening around him. When Sulla was in power he learned that a dictator can cause a great deal of horror while at the same time he can override squabbling politicians to cause real changes. During the "Social War" Caesar recognized the resentment of the Italian allies (This was caused by a lack of political influence.) "From Crassus, he learned the lesson that the foundation of political influence was wealth; from Pompey and Cicero, it was obvious that military might required political skill and that effective oratory benefited from the mechanics of crowd control" (Cross).
             Being a fine public speaker, Caesar's rise to power came rather quickly. By the age of 30, he was unarguably one of the most famous Romans of his time; he was skillful in the art of oration and that served him well when he campaigned for various offices. In order to gain popularity, Julius Caesar borrowed money from his friend, Crassus, in order ...