# Lessons of History: "How Rome’s Senators Got Robbed of Their Republic" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-of-history-how-rome-s-senators-got-robbed-of-their-republic/1017104 "2025-04-16T14:56:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-of-history-how-rome-s-senators-got-robbed-of-their-republic/1017104/41 "2025-09-13T11:56:10Z")
So it occurs to me the right analogy to Trump in the late Republic is not Augustus, who, whatever his morals was at least an effective ruler. The right analogy is Catiline: > **[Catilinarian conspiracy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catilinarian_conspiracy)** > > The Catilinarian conspiracy, sometimes Second Catilinarian conspiracy, was an attempted coup d'état by Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline) to overthrow the Roman consuls of 63 BC – Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida – and forcibly assume control of the state in their stead. > The conspiracy was formed after Catiline's defeat in the consular elections for 62, held in early autumn 63. He assembled a coalition of malcontents – aristocrats who had been denied political advancement by... A specularlary corrupt, venal, and self serving politician, conspiring to destroy the Republic purely motivated by personal grievance and self enrichment. And the conspiracy itself was incredibly incompetently organized by a group of conspritors who had no idea what they were doing (even breaking the “Springer Bell rule” by writing down their plan in a letter and signing it) The depressing thing being the Roman Republic easily defeated Catiline only to be overthrown by more competent conspirators like Caesar. Whereas our Republic fell at the first hurdle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-of-history-how-rome-s-senators-got-robbed-of-their-republic/1017104.md?page=2)