Do you feel that Caeser had Rome in his best interest?

Question

Many say it was a "show" for his own personal gains. Do you think he was selfish, or truly trying his best for his people?

I meant *JULIUS Caeser.
Sorry.

Answer 1

Which Caesar are you talking about? The question could be easily applied to Julius Caesar or to Augustus Caesar.

Edit: I think it was a likely combination of personal ambition as well as a desire to improve the bureaucracy and conditions of the Republic. It's doubtful that Caesar's ambitions were ever pure.

The collapse of the Triumvirate and the civil war he provoked with Pompey, who was supported by the Senate, was a power struggle, pure and simple. Both Pompey and Caesar realised that the winner of the civil war would have complete control of the Roman Empire and neither were prepared to forego their claim to that kind of prize.

Once Caesar won the civil war in 49 BC he did, however, make extensive reforms to the Republic's bureaucracy (although centralising it also extended Caesar's power), and regulated the public purchase of grain for the plebs - a necessary move given the importance of grain supplies to Rome and its population. His dirty election campaigning for election to the consulship was no worse than anyone else's and he did, at least, refrain from proscribing his enemies, which was the typical tactic taken by those in power during the period.

I think the best answer is that he was a clear mixture of greed and personal ambition with a genuine concern for the plebs and the soldiers who had fought in his campaigns. He had extensive plans to provide land throughout the empire for retired soldiers, which was both a politically astute move as well as a generous gesture. The level of his public spending on various monuments and games celebrating his own achievements was what finally began to tip the balance of the support of the Senate and Brutus and turn them against him because they saw it as little more than self-glorification.

Answer 2

Don't apologise to Chris M, he was being pedantic. He clearly knew you were talking about Julius Caesar as he referred to him as Caesar in his spiel, never once mentioning a forename.
Anyway, I've never known a statesman to act completely for the people. I think it's more about personal gain, power and infamy. Unless, of course, you are William Wallace or Alexander Comyn.

Answer 3

Julius Caesar wants social justice and not socialism which killed him.

Corrupt people also corrupt minds.

He is a military man and wants everything straighten out but greed of some senators killed him with his trusted friend, Brutus, to be the last one to strike him.

Answer 4

I think that it could have started out that way, but he seemed to have gotten more power hungry near the end. (I haven't read a bunch about him, though, so don't take my word for it).