Emergency Power

Research Case: How Can We Judge Whether Emergency Power Is a Legitimate Crisis Response or an Exercise of Power for Class Interests?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 7 1. Question In Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, Book VII, the dictatorship appears in very different situations. In some cases, emergency authority helped Rome respond to serious crises: In other cases, the same type of extraordinary authority was used in ways that … Read more

Research Case: Why Could the Tribunes of the Plebs Restrain a Dictator Who Used Emergency Power beyond Its Original Purpose?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 7 1. Question In Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, Book VII, Lucius Manlius was appointed dictator for a limited religious purpose: to perform the nail driving ritual during a plague. However, after completing the ritual, Manlius moved beyond that mission. He began preparing … Read more

Research Case: Why Did the Authority Granted for the Nail Driving Ritual Expand into Recruitment and War?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 7 1. Question In Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, Book VII, Rome suffered from a continuing plague. After earlier religious measures failed to end the crisis, the Senate recalled an old precedent and appointed Lucius Manlius as dictator for a specific purpose: to … Read more

Research Case: Why Did Rome Use the Dictatorship for Different Crises Such as Plague, War, Elections, and Military Revolt?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 7 1. Question In Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, Book VII, Rome used the dictatorship in very different kinds of crises. These included: At first sight, these crises seem unrelated. A plague is a crisis of life, religion, and public anxiety. War is … Read more

Research Case: Why Did Emergency Power Become Both a Tool for Saving the State and a Tool for Political Exclusion?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 7 1. Question In Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, Book VII, the dictatorship appears repeatedly. It was used in several different situations: In some cases, concentrated emergency authority helped Rome respond quickly and successfully. Against the Gauls and the Aurunci, for example, the … Read more

Research Case: Why did the boundaries between law, violence, custom, and emergency power keep shifting in early Republican Rome?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 4 1. Question Why did the boundaries between law, violence, custom, and emergency power keep shifting in early Republican Rome? The Roman Republic shown in Book 4 of Livy is not a finished constitutional state.It is an unfinished operating system that survives by adding institutions, … Read more

Research Case: Why Was the Emergency Dictatorship Both a Temporary Kernel That Saved the State and a Dangerous Device That Carried the Risk of Kingship?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 4 1. Question Why was the emergency dictatorship both a temporary kernel that saved the state and a dangerous device that carried the risk of kingship? The Roman Republic in Book 4 of Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation is not a simple state … Read more

Research Case: Why Was Emergency Power Necessary in a National Crisis Even Though It Could Threaten Liberty?

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A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Research Question Why was emergency power necessary in a national crisis, even though it could threaten liberty? This question examines emergency authority in Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, Book 3. It focuses on the dictator, emergency control based on an oath, … Read more