The Roman Senate Chair: Kopal Mital Co-Chair: Sudhish Sivakumar Co-Chair:Viren Chainani
Letter from the Chairs: Friends, Delegates, and now Senators lend me your ears, We take great pleasure in welcoming you to the Continuous Crisis Committee. The committee is set after the events of the assassination of Caesar, a time period which we are sure will produce some excellent moments and definitely make this a committee to write home about. Having been for many crisis committees as both delegates and chairs, we assure you that this is going to be one of the most dynamic committees that will move at a breakneck pace. Although it can be a lot of information to process in a short span of time, this is what sets crisis committees apart and teaches its delegates to always be on their toes.we look forward to seeing you in committee. Regards, Executive Board Continual Crisis Committee How to write a Position Paper Before coming into debate, you should complete a position papers relating to each major topic.you may use the position paper to decide which issue in each topic is the most important to your character and what you would do to resolve that particular issue. A good position paper will include 3 main paragraphs, we will break each of them down in order to enable you to write the best position paper you are capable of. In the first paragraph you should include what subtopic is the most important within the many major topics. This paragraph should include a rationale and evidence to support why you feel that this particular topic is the most important to the future of the Roman Empire. The second paragraph should include what the Roman Empire has done to combat this issue. This can include previous laws or events that have happened within Rome which impact this issue. You can also include why these plans have failed. Your third paragraph should be the bulk of your position paper and it should include what your character wants to do about this topic. You can use almost anything that will help support your position; this paragraph will help craft the argument you will make in debate and help create your major argument The Deadline for submission is Saturday, the 19th of August.
Background: Although the consuls led the armies and the Roman assemblies oversaw legislation and elections, it was the Roman Senate that controlled money, administration, and foreign policy. Therefore, the Senate was the predominant branch of government and it was the one which controlled the day to day lives of the Roman public. During the time of the Roman Kingdom, the Senate was a group of Rome s wealthiest and most powerful men who would advise the king. At this time, the Senate was second only to the King. Therefore, its power was almost limitless. Once the Roman Kingdom was overthrown in 509 B.C., the Senators advised the two consuls of the Republic instead of the king. By the time leading up to Caesar s assassination, the power of the Senate has only increased. Not only are these Senators wealthy, but they are essentially their own social class. Because of the prestige and unbroken lineage of the senators, the Roman Senate was most definitely the most powerful political institution within the Republic. Within the Roman Senate were two political parties: the optimates and the populares.once headed by Pompey, the optimates wished to extend the power of the Senate. This political party was seen as the one that backed the interests of the aristocrats. Opposing the optimates were the populares. This political faction, as the name suggests (populares = favoring the people ), was the one that favored the interests of the plebeians, or the commoners. Julius Caesar was a popularis (a politician who supported the populares). During the actual Roman Senate, the optimates were given priority over the populares. In fact, they were often given more speaking time or were the only ones allowed to speak on certain issues. However, during this session of the Roman Senate, the political party of the senator will not be taken into account by the dais. Structure of Roman Government : Rome in 60 BC is still officially a Republic. The governing body of Rome is the Senate, whose decisions are carried out by two Consuls elected annually. For any member of the Senate, being elected Consul is the highest honor as this position holds an enormous amount of power, and it is a prerequisite to become a Censor. The Consuls served as the commanders in chief of the Roman military. To avoid a monarch demonizing Rome, there is limitation of a one year term for Consul that cannot be on consecutive years. The senators are made up of the male members of a highly exclusive social class known as the Patricians. There are many ranks below the Senators, including the Equites, primarily composed of merchants and traders who are considered dishonorable and therefore unfit to be Senators by the authorities in power. The lower classes are represented by the Tribunes who were elected by the plebeian assembly, a lower class counterpart to the Senate. These Tribunes had power within the Senate as well, including veto power over all decisions and over legislation in the plebeian assembly. The final rank is the
Censor. These individuals are in charge of the census and they keep track of the people in Rome and the property they own. In addition, the censors are also in charge of making sure all Roman people observe proper moral conduct and maintain the order and structure of the Roman society. Julius Caesar: When Caesar returned to Rome, the Roman people expressed great love for him. Not only was Caesar a great leader on the battlefield, but he was also a great leader in Rome. Upon his return, he instituted many reforms that he felt was necessary for the common people. These reforms included offering land for veterans, giving grain to the poor, limiting the terms of the provincial governors, and increasing the size of the Senate. He also created many public works projects that not only cleaned up Rome, but also provided jobs for the countless unemployed people in the Republic. Furthermore, he created a new calendar (the Julian calendar which is still in use today), provided entertainment though gladiator fights and banquets, and built a public library. Without a doubt, he was a man loved by the people. However, it was this love the people had for Caesar that made Caesar so dangerous in the eyes of the Senate. His friends and foes alike began to worry that Caesar was gaining too much power for his own good. Once Caesar was named dictator for life in 44 BCE, many Senators felt that their worst fears were coming true- the Roman Republic was falling apart. With the completely unconstitutional act of making Caesar dictator for life, many believed that they no longer had a voice in Rome. Soon, the Senators began to perceive Caesar as arrogant and believed that he was being honored too much. His birthday became a public holiday, his birth month was renamed July (Julius), and he was named father of the country. He began to wear the attire of the ancient Roman Kings and statues of him were put up across Rome. He even constructed his own palace. Eventually, he was seen more as a divine figure than a dictator. The Senators really became concerned after the festival of Lupercalia in February. Mark Antony, a Roman commander and very close friend of Caesar s, presented Caesar with a diadem, or wreathed laurel. While Caesar insisted that Jupiter was the only King of Rome, many Senators did not believe that Caesar was being true. In fact, many people thought the staged the whole event to show that he did not want power. Whether or not Caesar considered himself king, this event was an event that got many to join the conspiracy. The Assassination: On the morning of the Ides of March, Caesar s wife Calpurnia woke up begging Caesar not to leave the house, claiming that she had a dream where she was holding his bloody body. But because it was an important celebration in Rome and he had called a meeting of the Senate, Caesar ignored Calpurnia s concerns. Soon, he went to a friend s house for a sacrifice.
Upon realizing that the animal innards were blemished, he agreed to postpone the Senate meeting. Later on, Decimus insisted that Caesar come to the meeting, claiming that his absence to a full Senate would be seen as insulting. Agreeing with Decimus, Caesar decided to go to the Senate himself to announce that the meeting would be postponed. Unaware that Decimus was involved in a conspiracy against him, Caesar walked into the meeting room. Very quickly, the Senators approached the throne, revealing their daggers. Within minutes, the Roman dictator laid dead from the 23 stabs he had received. Afterwards, the conspirators marched through the streets and proclaimed People of Rome, we are once again free! Mob Violence: Mob violence was a serious issue even before the death of Caesar. These consistent acts of violence dated as far back as the death of the Gracchi brothers in 133 BCE. From there on out, mob violence only got worse. Following the death of Caesar, people took to the streets. In one case, a poet named Cinna (a friend of Caesar s) was mistaken for Senator Cinna. The man was torn to pieces according to Plutarch s account of the story. There were also many cases of people setting conspirators houses on fire. Apparently, the people did not care about liberty or the Republic. Instead, they only cared for avenging Caesar s death and punishing the conspirators. Many say that this mob violence, which has long been a problem is Rome, stemmed from the government no longer working properly because its members no longer valued the laws upon which the Republic was founded. As Senators, your task is an important one. Because this problem is one that has existed long before the conspiracy, the Senators will need to decide what should be done to address the issue and restore faith in the government. Economic Instability: Prior to his assassination, Caesar implemented multiple actions in order to reform the economy. Before his rule, simply the economy in Rome was in severe recession. Real estate values had significantly dropped and lenders refused to give out money making matters worse. Furthermore, the rich aristocratic who controlled the Senate supported legislation that would make themselves richer and take away from the common people. However, Caesar implemented great economic reform when he came into power. First of all Caesar supported many projects that would allow certain industries to boom: Caesar ordered the draining of marshes for more farmland and the creation of a canal for better shipping/trading. He was also a large supporter of creating infrastructure which significantly helped the economy. Furthermore, Caesar limited loans at a twelve percent interest rate to prevent loan-sharks taking advantage of the poor. However, Caesar biggest economic reform was the distribution of grain; Caesar made sure that everyone could afford to have enough food to eat well. However, when Caesar perished, so did many of his great economic reforms. What made the economic conditions worse in Rome was
the bloody civil war occurring. This led to mass overspending, especially by military, and the burden was put on the Roman citizens. The Romans experienced mass inflation and taxation, which happened to widen the gap between the wealthy and the poor even more. Furthermore, many of the wealthy citizens of Rome fled to avoid taxes, making the financial situation worse. Rome s economy was also affected by a labor deficit: the Romans depended on slaves to do jobs such as working on farms and assisting craftsmen. However, when Rome s expansion stopped, so did the flow of all the people they captured (who would become slaves). This lack of labor destroyed many of the essential industries of Rome, such as agriculture. The consequences of all of these actions formed to cause great economic instability in Rome having widespread effects. External Affairs Protecting the Borders - Understanding the Invaders: As Rome is becoming more powerful and as our population is increasing at an exponential rate, the need to expand the empire has never been so great. In order to secure Rome s power, it must occupy more land. However, expanding an empire is not that easy pirates, rebellious barbarians, and defending Rome s borders stand in the way of our empire s potential success. The Northern Borderlands: About 40 years ago, a new threat moved into the Roman Empire. Barbaric Germanic tribes known as Marcomanni, Alamanni, Franks, Angles, and the Saxons entered into Roman territory and have been wreaking havoc on the Northern border. The areas around the border are now under constant assault. This area is especially important to Rome because the lands are rich and can be used for farming and trade. 12 These tribes are killing Roman citizens (when they make it through the border) and wreaking havoc. The Roman Senate needs to decide how the area will be managed in terms of military strength, and in terms of economic zones. Because people farther away from the heart of Rome are easily impressionable, it is important that the Senate not only acts in the best interest of the Empire, but also in the best interest of the people living around the border. African Area: After the Third Punic War against Carthage, Africa Proconsularis (the Roman colony in Africa) was established by the Republic of Rome. Governed by a proconsul (a governor appointed by the Senate), Africa Proconsularis is in the most fertile part of what was formerly Carthaginian territory. In 118 BC, the Numidian prince, Jugurtha, attempted to reunify the smaller kingdoms of Africa under his rule. Jugurtha once called the empire of Rome "urbem venalem et mature
perituram, si emptorem invenerit" ("a city for sale doomed to quick destruction, if it should find a buyer ). While Roman troops were engaged in the Cimbrian War, Jugurtha s troops massacred citizens of Cirta, the capital of the Berber Kingdom in Northern Africa causing a great conflict within Africa to erupt. This rebellion by the peoples of Africa demonstrates the lack of loyalty the Africans have towards the Roman Empire. 13 The Senate must devise a solution to help maintain the loyalty of the people of Africa. Many of these Africans want a say in their Roman government, some even wanting to be self governed. This balance between power of the empire and power of these African areas must be established to ensure stability in these areas. An empire is as strong as its weakest link, and so it is important that the people of Africa be fully reunited to Rome. Defeating the Invaders: The borders of Rome are constantly being attacked by outside forces who wish to see Rome destroyed. As senators, it is your job to make sure they do not succeed. Rome, however, does not have the men or the resources to defend our extensive border. The hiring of men from local tribes outside of the Roman border (mercenaries) is providing more able bodied warriors who serve within the Roman army. But, in order to ensure this loyalty, Rome uses trade, military honors, and sometimes even pitting various tribes against each other in an attempt to keep control of these soldiers for hire. Despite these efforts, hostility is rising amongst the tribes. They are starting to resent Roman influence within their tribes and feel that, because Rome is stealing all able bodied men from their own tribes, they are left unprotected. Tribal chieftains, in order to combat Roman influence, have started adopting the practice of mandatory military service. Rumors of anarchy among the foreign Roman soldiers are rising. Time Freeze : March 15, 44 BC, directly after the events of the assassination of Caesar. All events post this date are inadmissible in committee. The Crisis at Hand : All the conspirators have been called to a meeting directly following the death of Caesar. However it has not been made public to the masses that Caesar has been killed and thus the committee will debate the issues facing the nation and ultimately crown a new emperor of Rome as the final goal of the committee.
Procedure : Procedure will be that of normal MUN conference with the only exception being that a Provisional Speakers List (PSL) instead of a Moderated Caucus being raised to discuss any crisis updates which come the committee s way. The main way committee will move forward is through directives and press releases. Directives are an action undertaken by a senator and are sent in to the Executive Board via chit. Directives are either committee wide (requiring a vote by the committee in order to pass) or personal, in which the action is within the senator s own power. Press Releases are done to make information known to the public through announcements. Once again these are sent via chit. Directives and Press Releases heavily influence crisis updates and the flow of committee. The Format for Directives: FROM: TO: EB/CHAIR/DAIS Directive/Joint Directive/Committee Directive : <Name> AIM/OBJECTIVE: REQUIREMENTS: PLAN OF ACTION: Questions to keep in mind: 1) Rome is in need of a leader to step up and lead the Senate and fill the power vacuum created by the death of Caesar. 2) How will the new leader establish control and authority over the people? 3) How will the mob violence be controlled and dealt with? 4) How will the lower and middle classes of Rome be appeased? 5) Will the new reforms be similar to Caesar s era? 6) How will the financial disparities and unemployment among the lower classes be dealt with? 7) Who are Rome s best allies and what is the future of the Roman colonies?
SAMPLE POSITION PAPER Committee: International Labor Organization Topic: Globalization and Development Country: Romania In the past two decades the rapidly growing world trend has been toward globalization. With the emergence of the internet as a means of communication and the increasing accessibility of international trade physical barriers are not the only barriers withering away. Protective tariffs are plummeting and free trade agreements are becoming more prevalent. Romania appreciates that globalization creates favorable situations for expansion of commercial as well as economic assets. In the past year Romania has seen a foreign direct investment (FDI) increase of 199%. Inward FDI increased from EURO 234 million in 2005 to EURO 699 million in 2006. However, Romania realizes that increased globalization does not automatically produce more equality. Globalization and Development can contribute to the advancement of the overall international human condition; however, the delegation of Romania recognizes that without proper regulation the potential for advancement will remain limited to an elite few individuals, businesses, and nations. Unless checked and aimed toward the common good, globalization cannot effectively serve the global community. Crucial in dealing with the complexities of globalization, good governance must act with solidarity and responsibility. Romania believes that in involving people in globalization we must promote moral values, democratic principles, inclusive global political culture, institutions that safeguard both individual civil rights and inherent freedoms, and the common good. In addition, coping with the influx of information from globalization governments must act with solidarity and insight. Access to digital education will undoubtedly result in the confidence of citizens in their respective administrations and allow for a greater degree of transparency, and therefore a lesser degree of corruption. Romania believes the multinational business community has the ability and the obligation to support pertinent values in human rights, labor standards, and environmental preservation. As stated by the president, Mr. Traion Basescu, Romania feels a "heartfelt attachment to multilateralism, as an effective instrument designed to identify the adequate answers to the challenges brought by globalization." Romania is party to the majority of multilateral treaties and conventions identified as such by the Secretary General in the context of the Millennium Summit in 2001. Romania has always supported innovative and effective ways of establishing cooperation within and between regional
organizations. As one of the newest members of the European Union, Romania is an active member of the World Trade Organization, and looks forward to offering its support to the redirection of globalization to best benefit the global community.