Julius Caesar, although he made may important reforms, was a power-hungry politician who prevented democratic participation in the Republic. He only desired power for himself and he did not meet the needs to better Rome. Caesar undermined the power of the Senate, used Rome for his personal gain, and allowed his strong ambition to undermine Rome.
When Caesar became dictator of Rome, his main focus was to achieve power and position for himself. This is one of the reasons he wanted to be consul of Rome, not for the glory of Rome but for his own personal interests. He paid large sums of money so that he would be made high priest. He took offices that were reserved solely for plebeians and made them his own. Caesar even married his daughter off to Pompey, a member of the second triumvirate, simply to gain political power.
And as if all that wasn't enough, he requested that he be made dictator for life and he was granted the title. Caesar's main focus was to achieve power so that all of history would remember him as great. He even states: “I would rather be the first man in a barbarian village, than the second man in Rome”. It is evident that he desires power above all else. Although Caesar made a great number of reforms for Rome, the purpose for this was not for the betterment of the people, but for the betterment of his own image.
Caesar, while being a power hungry dictator, was a man who exhibited great arrogance and pride, which was the basis of his rule. He was so arrogant, that he believed he was a descendant of the goddess Venus. Because of this, he strove to accomplish great things in order to achieve power worthy of his “godliness”. Caesar also believed he was destined for greatness. After looking at a statue of Alexander the Great, Caesar believed that if Alexander could accomplish what he did, than he could do it do. Therefore, arrogance and pride were the formation of Caesar's rise to power.
Caesar also put his own interests above the Senate and even his own people. During Caesar's years as consul, staunch political supporters of his formed gangs who beat or killed his rivals. Instead of stopping this violence he let it go on and allowed for many to be killed. He was so focused on his military successes that he failed to tend to the needs of the people. He also showed no respect to the republican system of government. For instance, he completely disregarded the republican system of election. His most known act of treachery against the senate however is when he crossed the Rubicon River.
To cross the Rubicon River, meant trespassing boundaries of Rome, an act he knew was severely forbidden. Even though he knew that to cross the Rubicon was treachery against the Senate, he did it anyway and brought his army past the boundaries of Rome, directly defying the senate. This act of treason sparked civil war, endangering the citizens of Rome. Caesar put his own interests above the interests of his people. Although he was adored by the middle and lower class, it is evident that he didn't care about them because of his endangering actions.
Julius Caesar, although he reformed Roman policies, did them for the wrong reasons. A power hungry politician, he prevented democratic participation in the republic, taking matters into his own hands for his own personal wealth. He paid large sums of money and even took seats of power that were not rightfully his in order to attain glory and prestige. Besides being power hungry, Caesar's arrogance and pride are what fueled his rule. His belief in being a direct descendant from the goddess Venus and his desire to gain as much power as Alexander did were his motivation to become ruler.
His thirst for power and his arrogance were nothing compared to his disrespect towards the laws of the Republic. He completely disregarded the republican system of election and committed several acts of treason against the Senate. He was not interested in the laws set by Rome; as far as he was concerned his own law was what mattered. Caesar, contradictory to what many believe, did more harm to the Roman Empire than good because he was not focused on bettering the condition of the empire, but rather on increasing his power and status.
