Spartacus Research Paper
“It was not the governing class alone that would react in horror to the prospect of a slave insurrection. Whatever the grievances of men disenfranchised and dispossessed by Sulla, they would have found unthinkable any common enterprise with Thracian or Gallic slaves. It causes no surprise that Marxist historians and writers have idealized Spartacus as a champion of the masses and leader of the one genuine social revolution in Roman history. That, however, is excessive. Spartacus and his companions sought to break the bonds of their own grievous oppression. There is no sign that they were motivated by ideological considerations to overturn the social structure. The sources make clear that Spartacus endeavored to bring his forces out of Italy toward freedom rather than to reform or reverse Roman society. The achievements of Spartacus are no less formidable for that. The courage, tenacity, and ability
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Their insurrection came to be known as the Third Servile War, or the Gladiators’ War. Leading his army of runaway slaves, which has been estimated to have reached 100,000 men, Spartacus defeated a series of Roman attacks using tactics which would now be called guerrilla warfare. “
3. From
“30% of peasants living in the Roman Empire were bought and sold on the slave trade. They are treated as sub humans and tossed around like goods. Angered by this a leader was born among these slaves and his name was Spartacus. This newfound leader was pivotal in the uprising of slaves in Ancient Rome.”
1. BBC, n.d. History-Spartacus, BBC, accessed 26 February 2014, .
2. Strauss, B 2009, The Spartacus War, 2nd edn, Simon and Schuster, N.A.
3. D.Shaw, B 2001, Spartacus and the slave wars, 1st edn, St Martin's Press, N.A.
4. Gardner Films 2008, ‘Rome: Rise and fall of an Empire, Episode 2: Spartacus’,Youtube, online video, accessed 26 February 2014,
Their insurrection came to be known as the Third Servile War, or the Gladiators’ War. Leading his army of runaway slaves, which has been estimated to have reached 100,000 men, Spartacus defeated a series of Roman attacks using tactics which would now be called guerrilla warfare. “
3. From
“30% of peasants living in the Roman Empire were bought and sold on the slave trade. They are treated as sub humans and tossed around like goods. Angered by this a leader was born among these slaves and his name was Spartacus. This newfound leader was pivotal in the uprising of slaves in Ancient Rome.”
1. BBC, n.d. History-Spartacus, BBC, accessed 26 February 2014, .
2. Strauss, B 2009, The Spartacus War, 2nd edn, Simon and Schuster, N.A.
3. D.Shaw, B 2001, Spartacus and the slave wars, 1st edn, St Martin's Press, N.A.
4. Gardner Films 2008, ‘Rome: Rise and fall of an Empire, Episode 2: Spartacus’,Youtube, online video, accessed 26 February 2014,