The Betrayal of Julius Ceasar on Western Civilization

The Betrayal of Julius Caesar had a profound impact on history. It is not just the fact that the nature of Rome, at that time, took on a different structure, but that the level in which deceit and betrayal became an accepted idea within the political structure. The betrayal did not induce deceit and corruption into the political arena, but the disregard for such values within the political arena by Julius Caesar caused these to no longer be hidden attributes, but displayed for the world to view. This idea is never more demonstrated than with Julius Caesar’s dying words, “Et tu, Bruti.” Throughout history, the betrayals of leaders led to a very different mindset, for both leaders and those who paid homage to those leaders, the people.

To truly understand the impact of the betrayal of Julius Caesar, it is very important to understand how he himself was betrayed. Julius Caesar was viewed as a tyrant and a threat to the future of the Roman Republic. He was betrayed due to opposing political views and his perceived alliance with other ruling classes. On March 15, 44 B.C., the senators used his closest friend, Marcus Junius Brutus, to secure the murder of the esteemed leader. This level of betrayal had been viewed as treacherous, since it was uncommon, at the time for members of the closest inner circle of a respected leader to betray them. Julius Caesar was warned before entering the Coliseum that he should beware of the Ides of March. His arrogance led to his fall, because he could not fathom the level of betrayal that he actually met. His lack of understanding for the times he lined in was the root cause of this demise, not the actual treachery it self. Yet, the reality of the day was that whatever was necessary for power, was necessary to be done.

The effects of the betrayal of Julius Caesar were felt, not just by the Roman ruling class, but also by the empire as well. The Roman Empire was a hair step away from its ruin once the Great Julius Caesar was removed. This marked the end of ancient Romse, and all the cultural and political thought that went with it. The reason being is that the barbaric nature of his demise introduced the ideas of anarchy into the picture. Through the eyes of a great leader, the land is known to have structure and government. When it requires anarchy to remove such a leaser, a crack in the foundation of that structure is realized. This induced the ideas that who to lead the ruling class can and would be challenged. Some of the effects of these ideas were in fact that different Roman tribes attempted to seize power almost daily. Even the architecture reflected the need to protect one’s family from invading forces by structuring steps that aided someone fighting down the steps, as opposed to the people coming up the steps. Yet, due to Julius Caesar’s lack of understanding that though there is deceit and betrayal in the ranks, it can be a hidden dimension to the people.