Retaining Republican Government

Cicero was widely known as a member of the 'old guard' of the Roman republic. He was an ardent believer that rulers should be elected by the people, or at least by those citizens with the proper qualifications. Dictatorship was politically unstable and unaccountable to the people; thus, a decent republic could not be run by a dictatorship. Cicero was a long-time senator and was once the Roman consul, the highest elected office in the Roman republic. When Caesar took over and effectively destroyed the power of the consul and the senate, Cicero was dismayed.

We can see throughout his speeches that Cicero aims to defense the republic. In on speech, Cicero argues that the courts should convict Verres to retain public confidence in these institutions. In another speech, he argues that the Roman republican form of government was under threat by Catiline. Even Cicero's mild...