Question

state building: roman empire years there is no significant history of change at rome. autocracy represented, in a sense, an end of history. of course there were all kind of events, battles, assassinations, political stand - offs, new initiatives and inventions; and the participants would have have all kinds of exciting stories to tell and disputes to argue. but unlike the story of the development of the republic and the growth of imperial power, which revolutionised almost every aspect of the world of rome, there was no fundamental change in the structure of roman politics, empire, or society between the end of the first century bce and the end of the second century ce. from mary beard, spqr: a history of ancient rome (new york: liveright publishing corporation, 2015), 335 - 336. which of the following evidence supports this claim? choose all answers that apply: a there were many events and conflicts that changed the structures of the republic in the first century bce b there continued to be internal events and disputes in rome c the political structures augustus created changed very little over two centuries d autocratic government always produces stability

Explanation:

• Option A: The claim is about the lack of fundamental change in the Roman Empire's structure (after the first century BCE to second century CE). Option A talks about changes in the Republic (first century BCE) which is a different time period and structure (Republic vs Empire), so it doesn't support the claim.
• Option B: The passage says there were events and disputes but no fundamental structural change. Option B only states there were internal events/disputes, which doesn't address the lack of structural change, so it doesn't support.
• Option C: If Augustus' political structures (which were part of the Empire's setup) changed very little over two centuries, this directly supports the claim that there was no fundamental change in Roman politics/empire/society during that time.
• Option D: The claim is about the Roman Empire's specific lack of structural change, not a general rule about autocratic governments. Also, "always" is an overgeneralization and not supported by the passage, so it doesn't support.

Answer:

C. The political structures Augustus created changed very little over two centuries