Spartacus as a Leader Essay Example

📌Category: Historical Figures, History, Leadership
📌Words: 1224
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 21 June 2022

In the late second century BCE, Spartacus was born and raised in Thrace, modern-day northern Macedonia; a region seen by the nearby Greeks and Romans as uncivilized and barbaric (Mark). Consequently, after the Third Macedonian War, many Thracians, including Spartacus, were captured and sent to be soldiers for the Roman Republic (Margaritoff). Originally, Spartacus fought in the Roman army as a mercenary; however, after deserting his legion, he was imprisoned. Later, he was sold as a slave to Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of the famous Capua gladiator school of southern Italy (“Spartacus: …”). One might ask, how did such a feeble and defenseless slave (in the Romans’ eyes) start the Third Servile War? Spartacus was able to accomplish these feats with his logistical and strategic fighting strategies, with the improper actions of the Republic, and with the pure number of slaves that he was able to unite and lead in his rebellion.

Although Sparticus never intended to be a leader of a revolt, he still grew powerfully into the position. Seen throughout the many battles and even at the beginning of the rebellion, Spartacus showed his tactical and well-planned defenses and attacks upon the Romans. To begin with, at the gladiatorial school in Capua where Spartacus was enslaved, he and his fellow gladiators devised a plan to escape. Motivated by their constant mistreatment by the Romans, constantly having to fight each other in the arena, and wanting to return to their homes, Thrace for Spartacus, they proposed themselves to fight for their freedom (History.com). In 73 BCE, Spartacus led 77 other gladiator slaves to rebel. They took up from their quarters and overtook the guards with the cleavers, knives, and spits (skewers) from the kitchen. Once they got out of the walls of the school, they hijacked a wagon filled with gladiatorial weapons, arming themselves for the forces that would come next (Czech). Using great planning and strategy, Spartacus was able to start up a small, but great rebellion against the Roman state. Spartacus, with the help of Crixus, his closest friend from the school, continued building their army’s strength. For instance, in the second Roman expedition against their rebellion, led by praetor Publius Varinius, Spartacus used sneaky and clever tactics to get around them. While the officer bathed, Spartacus and his forces ambushed the legion, battling a sizable number of their forces. Using the corpses of their enemy, Spartacus’s forces were able to elude and trick the other guards. Taking more supplies, even Varinius’s horse, they were able to escape from being captured by the Romans after defeating a large part of their forces (“From Slave …”). Spartacus’s great leadership and uncommon/unknown military methods hugely helped his forces in battling the Romans. Without any effective or well-drafted army, Spartacus would never have been able to come as far as he did with his insurrection. While Spartacus’s planning and leadership were a major part of his success, it was not the only factor.

Moreover, the Roman Republic’s substandard response to the escape of the gladiators also was a significant aspect of Spartacus's success. Specifically, Rome during this period was continuously trying to expand, causing them to run into the Spanish empires to the west and the Pontic Empire to the east (“From Slave …”). With this, Rome busied itself, sending many of its soldiers to fight the wars; consequently, having less militia to manage domestic affairs in the state. Fortunately for Spartacus, this led the Roman senate to drastically underproduce the number of troops needed to defeat his forces. For example, after Spartacus and his men escaped from the gladiator school, they headed to Mount Vesuvius; on the way destroying villages, collecting and splitting the spoils, and gaining more men for their fight. When the Roman senate heard of this, they thought nothing of the so-called “rebels”, doubting they could pose a threat. Thus, they sent praetor Gaius Cladius Glader and a legion of 3,000 inadequately trained soldiers to go and defeat the agitators. Once they arrived at Mount Vesuvius, Glader and his men blocked the path, blocking the only way down the mountain. Thinking it would be an easy victory, they waited for the men to come down the mountain, but Spartacus was crafty. While the Romans were sleeping, Spartacus and his men used vines and tree branches to climb down the rugged face of the mountain. Once they were all down, they surprise-attacked Glader’s forces and easily destroyed them in battle (Margaritoff). With terrible preparations and improper planning by the Romans, Spartacus was able to easily defeat their forces. Also, the Roman senate and officials believing that slaves weren’t intelligent or capable enough to fight back gave Spartacus a notable advantage when battling them. Even after this defeat, the senate continued to believe in the same way, sending a legion of 2,000 under praetor Varinius. As listed before, Spartacus was able to effortlessly defeat their forces, leaving them scattered (Margaritoff). Continuance of these ineffective strategies by the Romans let Spartacus grow his forces powerful and vast.

Likewise, Spartacus’s success also came from how expansive and united he grew his rebellion. Although Spartacus started with an army of under 100 men, he was quickly able to bring together many others through the spreading of his success. Soon after his success on Mount Vesuvius, word spread quickly throughout Rome's countryside. Upon hearing this more and more slaves left their fields and abandoned their masters to join him. Not even six months after escaping slavery, Spartacus had gained forces of nearly 40,000 men, some even being free men (“Spartacus: …”). Seen as a sign of liberation by many, Spartacus’s bravery rapidly enticed people living in the lower class. He showed them that Rome was not some ultimate power, unable to be taken down, and that they could be free. Moreover, using a policy of equality as well as his legacy to inspire, Spartacus continued to strengthen and unite his forces. He gained control of whole villages and their supplies, making them into manufactories for new weapons (“From Slave …”). With this power of unity, Spartacus was able to win the Battle of Picenum in 72 BCE, one of the major battles of the Third Servile War. Against consuls Lucius Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus and their legions of 20,000 men, Spartacus used his sheer numbers to speedily overtake their army. Although many casualties came from this battle (“From Slave …”), Spartacus remained victorious, leaving Rome with a sour taste in its mouth. Again, this victory continued to unify his forces. At the end of 72 BCE (the peak point of his power), Spartacus had roughly 120,000 members before his unforeseen defeat (“From Slave …”).

Altogether, Spartacus left a legacy through his heroic and daring actions against the Roman Republic. First, with his ambiguous and resourceful usage of his forces, he was able to swiftly defeat and thwart his enemies. Additionally, Rome’s underestimation of their slaves' capabilities and their ineffective warfare aided in giving strength to Spartacus and his army. Lastly, Spartacus’s heroism and encouraging self-image helped him to unite a massive battalion willing to fight for their freedom and more. Throughout, he showed that Rome was not the all-powerful state that everyone thought it was. Also, he demonstrated to people that they should fight for their freedom and achieve something greater than themselves (History.com). Coming to an end, while this question may have been concluded, additional questions might surface when one researches Spartacus. For instance, what caused Spartacus to end up defeated after being successful for so long? Similarly, what would have happened if Spartacus had successfully been able to take down the state of Rome? How might that have affected or changed society today? Lastly, could this War have been as successful in a different era or with a different leader? Or was it specifically tied to these minutiae? Nonetheless, Spartacus’s name lives on today, becoming synonymous with freedom (“From Slave …”) and inspiring many great activists and revolutionaries of this day and age.

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