David B. Hollander.

2008

Nikolaus Jackob.

Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, Vol. 17, No. 3, Oct. 2007, pp. 293-311.

This article deals with the concept of public opinion in the life and works of the Roman orator, philosopher and politician Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC). It is conceptualized as a contribution to the historiography of public opinion theory. The basis for the analysis of Cicero's body of thought is his complete oeuvre: almost 800 letters, about 60 speeches and more than 20 treatises. After an introduction to the concepts of public opinion, the article is subdivided into four sections. First, Cicero's terms and definitions of public opinion are excerpted from his speeches and philosophical treatises. Second, the text depicts which role and qualities Cicero attributed to public opinion. Third, it is described how public opinion influenced politics and society in ancient Rome. Fourth, the article shows how public opinion became manifest and expressed itself publicly. In summary, the text demonstrates that Cicero regarded public opinion as a powerful social force which affected everyday life in Rome and virtually every aspect of politics in the ancient republic. Adapted from the source document.

Celso Kelly Neto .

Thesis, ProQuest, Ann Arbor MI, 2007.

The Roman Republic represented an interesting experience in history. For the very first time there was a self-ruled community in a scale larger than a city-state. Traditional historiography, however, tends to consider the Roman Republic as an oligarchic state, in which the people were actually controlled by a narrow hereditary political elite. The main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that this traditional view is false. In fact, research on this subject reveals that the Roman Republic had a strong popular and democratic element, and the people had much more power than it is traditionally thought. Moreover, the Roman Republic shared many similar characteristics not only with ancient democracies of the Greek type, but also with modern democratic states. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by addressing your request to ProQuest, 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346. Telephone 1-800-521-3042; email: disspub@umi.com

David Shotter.

European review of history, Vol. 14, No. 1, Mar 2007, pp. 105-106.

William Josiah Edwards Davis.

Thesis, 2007.

This dissertation studies a small collection of Latin literary texts and cultural institutions specific to the city of Praeneste, now called Palestrina. The time frame covers mostly the Roman Republic, with a final chapter on the Augustan calendar at Praeneste. The purpose of such a study is to present a different perspective on a limited number of Latin literary traditions and institutions than the one that has been predominant in modern scholarship. First, I will consider Roman literary history from the perspective of an important cultural center other than Rome itself, namely Praeneste. A collection of texts from the archaic period to the Augustan Principate specific to Praeneste allows us to study Latin and Latin culture at this city. No study, however, has studied these texts and artifacts in tandem. Second, I will recover a Praenestine perspective by drawing largely (though not exclusively) on the material cultural record. Again, Praeneste has a rich material record, especially during the Republic. Yet the monuments, ranging from the archaic period to the early Imperial era, have only been examined as separate entities. The result of this study will be not to overturn received wisdom about the history of Roman literature, but to present a too-familiar story from a fresh and unfamiliar perspective. I contribute new details to our understanding of how Romans imagined their literary history and raise questions that may be answered by further research of this type. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by addressing your request to ProQuest, 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346. Telephone 1-800-521-3042; email: disspub@umi.com

Laura M. Samponaro.

Thesis, 2007.

This study of the development of Ciceronian ethos tracks how details of syntax and rhetoric connect Cicero's style with his politics. Both direct and indirect means of character building are analyzed. Cicero's ethical style, his unique brand of self-representation, is consistent yet flexible; variations show how Ciceronian decorum unites form and content, eloquence and wisdom (Introduction). Since manners are morals for Cicero, constructing ethos is both an intellectual and moral activity and is prerequisite for good statesmanship. Cicero meets, subverts, and reconfigures the expectations of his novus homo role in the Verrines (ch.1). Exploiting his position as an insider/outsider, Cicero depicts himself as solely capable of preserving senatorial auctoritas. Relying on the same means to achieve conflicting ends, this careful style reflects the delicate maneuvering of the new man who unites opposite qualities in one ethos. The elegant ethical style of the Pro Murena (ch.2) showcases Cicero's ability to adopt potentially conflicting personae as consul. Emphasizing his own versatility at the expense of his opponents' inflexibility, Cicero makes rhetorical virtuosity a virtue and a consular officium. The inflated post reditum ethical style of the Pro Milone (ch.3) reflects Cicero's attempt to transform forensic and political failure into success. Relying on ornatus, a luxuriant yet strained style, and former novus homo tactics, Cicero turns political liabilities into assets and sets aright in speech a world turned upside down. The Second Philippic (ch.4) illustrates Cicero's late ethical style with its shifting viewpoints, contrary to facts, and unfulfilled wishes. This crisis style, an amalgam of Cicero's previous ethical styles, becomes more brittle and disjunctive reflecting Cicero's shift towards a Catonian view of reality, in which he, his style, and Rome must be sacrificed in order to be preserved. The Conclusion argues that paradox, the resolution of the contrary into the compatible, and the fragile balance of opposites that characterize Cicero's ethical style result from the need for consensus in deliberative politics. The flexible ethical style, the variation of which signals continuity, is the model for the republican style in which free governments are constituted and maintained through speech. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by addressing your request to ProQuest, 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346. Telephone 1-800-521-3042; email: disspub@umi.com

Callie Williamson.

American historical review, Vol. 111, No. 4, Oct 2006, pp. 1237-1238.

Brenda J. Lutz and James M. Lutz.

Government and Opposition, Vol. 41, No. 4, Oct 2006, pp. 491-511.

At various times the Roman Republic faced outbreaks of domestic political violence, including riots and intimidation, assassinations and conspiracies to overthrow the government. Violence was particularly noticeable in the Early Republic and the Late Republic. These activities were quite similar to the terrorism and violence used by mobs and groups during the French Revolution and the tactics of fascists and leftists in Europe in the 1920s or 1930s. More accurately, the actions of mobs and others during the French Revolution and leftists and fascists in Europe were very similar to the techniques used in the Roman political system in the last five centuries BCE. References. Adapted from the source document.