Sean Munroe10/8/14Period 1Roman Change Over Time EssayA few reasons for the transition of Rome from a Republic to an Empire are the economic and geographic reasons, in that the Republic of Rome failed due to the loss of a middle class, and that the vast terrain allowed Rome to expand both physically and politically. Economically speaking, the middle class was lost during the periods of war. This is because the soldier-farmers were fighting in the civil wars of 88-31 B.C.E and investors took over. In this the new owners decided to not grow crops essential to the middle class living of Rome, including wheat. Having to import expensive grain, poverty overcame many citizens of ancient Rome. Supporting this, Bulliet writes in the textbook, The owners of these large estates found it more lucrative to graze herds of cattle or to grow cropsthat brought in a big profit than to grow wheat. This is one of the reasons for the Republic failing. Another reason that Rome expanded from a Republic to an Empire is due to the geographical advantages they had. Rome is surrounded by the Apennine mountain range to the north and east, and the Mediterranean Sea approximately 24 kilometers to the west giving Rome a natural protection against others. The vast terrain of Ancient Rome gave Rome abundant resources. These geographical resources gave Rome the upper hand when in war, and in result of war, expanding. These are only a few of the reasons why Rome made the transition from Republic, to Empire.