The document summarizes some of the political and economic problems that led to the decline of the Roman Republic. Small farmers struggled due to competition from slave labor and many lost their land, leading to increased unemployment and poverty. Politicians provided distractions to the people but failed to address the real issues. Two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, tried to help the poor by advocating land reform but were assassinated. Eventually generals began recruiting poor citizens and relying on the military rather than the traditional government structures, weakening the Republic.

1. Trouble in the Republic