ABSTRACT
As we saw in chapter 5, after his victory at Actium (31 Be) and the subjugation of Egypt Octavian became the sole master of Rome. But the Roman world was still in a state of confusion, and it was necessary for him to restore order and set up some form of government which could ensure permanent security. Octavian saw that a return to the republican system of government was out of the question, for that system could no longer meet the organisational needs of the vast empire with its diverse populations and cultures, nor could it guarantee the political stability needed for efficient administration and the defence of the state. At the same time, however, he was aware that an attempt to establish an absolute monarchy would offend republican sensitivities and might lead to further unrest. The main demand of the times was a return to the security which only a fully-functioning system of law could provide. But the whole administration of law was so bound up with the republican regime and its ruling class that security without the upholding of the republican institutions was all but impossible. On the basis of this quite realistic appraisal of the situation Octavian, by masterful manipulations, effected the transformation of the Roman system of government into a system that was republican in form and semblage, but monarchical as far as actual executive power was concerned. The prerogatives of the senate were restored and the right of citizens to participate in the government through their vote in the assemblies was maintained. At the same time Octavian won the support of the powerful equestrian class by allowing them a greater degree of participation in the administration of public affairs. In return, Octavian's special position as the warrantor of the constitutional order was recognised by the senate and the people, and special laws were passed giving him all the essential powers which were important to him.} It was through the gradual acquisition of these powers that Octavian came to surpass all other Romans in authority and so he came to be designated as princeps, i.e. the first of the Roman
For an interesting account of the attitude of the Roman upper classes towards Augustus's regime see R. Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy, Oxford 1986.
