The Roman Army What Made it Such a Great Success
Many know that the Roman Empire was by far the strongest of its time, but many don't know why they were able to accomplish such feats such as conquering almost the entire western world. It is a surprise to many that their success was not due to their large army, but rather how they how they "motivated" their men. The Roman Army's success was almost entirely due to their soldier's fear of the harsh discipline implemented by the Roman Army. For example, laziness was punished by decimation of a unit, or killing every 10th soldier in the unit, falling asleep on duty was punished by making the soldier sleep outside the camp, men in Roman-conquered lands who attempted to get out of serving in the Roman Army were punished by decapitation, and running away with your unit was punishable by death by stoning. The fear of the Roman Army's harsh regulations prevented the Roman Army soldiers from running away during battle and encouraged soldiers to fight courageously. Soldiers who fell out of place in battle, or were found being "lazy" were executed and their units decimated (Deary, 20). This rule was important for the Roman Army as it drove fear into every soldier's heart about the consequences of being lazy and falling out
The Roman Army's enforced strong laws that demanded all young men in the conquered lands to fight in the Roman Army. Anyone who tried to escape this fate of serving the Roman army would immediately receive decapitation (Deary, 20). This rule made sure no one tried to escape the fate of the Roman Army draft. Most would prefer possible death in the army than assured death through decapitation. Fear of such a gruesome death kept most men in line and highly encouraged them to join the Roman Army. This rule also proved and reinforced the power and strength of the Roman Army. It proved to the people of the conquered lands that there was no easy way to escape the Roman Army (Raist). It also made others realize what happens when one attempts to outsmart the Roman Army. This kept the people of the conquered lands under control while strengthening the Roman Empire and allowing them to conquer more lands throughout Europe. As one can see, discipline was the key to Rome's success throughout its imperial rule. Successful modern-day armies such as the US Army have tough regulations similar to that of the Roman Army. Although death is rarely ever the punishment to a crime, the harsh rules do keep everyone in place as well as make others aware of the consequences of misdeeds. As once stated by the RAAC Ethos, "Discipline is fundamental to the success of any military operation because military operations achieve success through the coordinated efforts of large groups of individuals." The Roman Army's rules made sure all of their soldiers were attentive and that none fell asleep on duty. In the Roman Army if one of the soldiers was found falling asleep on duty, they were made to sleep outside the saf
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Approximate Word count = 1161
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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