Lawless Republic
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| Author | Josiah Osgood |
|---|---|
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Publication date | January 21, 2025 |
| Pages | 384 |
| ISBN | 978-1541604254 |
Lawless Republic: The Rise of Cicero and the Decline of Rome is a 2025 history book by classics scholar Josiah Osgood.
The book covers the Crisis of the Roman Republic using the Senate and court speeches of prominent Roman lawyer, statesman and Republican Cicero[1] rather than being a standard biography.[2] It argued that Cicero's success in politics through the courts was not a triumph of the rule of law but due to the decay Roman legal norms through the use of violence,[3] with Cicero's oratory excusing much of the violence that ended the Republic.[4] It also argues that Cicero's skill made him enemies.[5]
Although the book avoids making comparisons to its own time,[4] a number of the reviews have drawn a comparison with the Trump Presidency.[6]
External links
References
- ↑ Watts, Edward (20 August 2025). "The Best Troll Rome Ever Knew". The Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ Romm, James (2 February 2025). "'Lawless Republic' Review: A Society in Decay". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ Clarke, Jessica (9 May 2025). "Courting misrule". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- 1 2 Smith-Laing, Tim. "Murder, corruption and ancient Rome – this life of Cicero is a thrill". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ "Lawless Republic". Kirkus Reviews. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ Moravcsik, Andrew (22 April 2025). "Lawless Republic: The Rise of Cicero and the Decline of Rome". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 1 January 2026.