How did the wealth acquired from winning an empire affect Rome?

Question

a. It benefited the farmers.
b. It widened the gap between rich and poor.
c. It provided jobs for people in cities.
d. It created widespread prosperity.

Unsure about this question, does anyone have any knowledge about this?

n/m got it, but whoever gets it right i will give best answer..unless its kikime. lol. Well..this one may go into voting, since I may be out of school by then.

Answer 1

I would say that, like in most societies, increased wealth widened the gap between rich and poor, especially since wealth aquired in conquest typically ends up in the hands of a society's elite. So B.

Answer 2

Def. B. Nothing ever benefited the farmers. There was NOT widespread prosperity. The spoils of war came back to the ruling class. The soldiers weren't even well paid - which is why the rulers were always afraid of their own soldiers.

Answer 3

It's kind of all of the above.

The wealth Rome acquired was through taxing the conquored states, which in turn, was used to pay the military and govenors running those new states. Their acquisitions actually cost them in some ways.

The following happened:

Country/state is conquored by Roman forces.
Rome sets up shop in that country. Displaces the citizens of conquoured country by giving lands to it's own forces in order to reside there. Gives citizenship to displaced citizens who then flock to Rome to get homes, jobs, etc. (Lots of homeless, poor, and dying). Rome taxes remaining citizens in order to pay its troops and government...oh, and loots the heck out of the place.

Farmers had an increased demand for crops.
More poor due to influx of conquoured foreigns.
More people in cities = less jobs...and jobs being done for less.

Those who prospered were the "nobility" and the merchants.