The Cause of the Social War

Abstract

OF ALL THE MANY WARS fought by Rome few surpass in importance Social War of 91 to 87 B.C.x It brought about unification of Italy and made her Roman; it provided Roman empire with a solid, central heartland, without which later great expansion and remarkable longevity would scarcely have been possible; and it led to substitution of Latin for various local tongues of Italy and to its adoption by much of West. If today wide areas of globe, including much of Canada, speak Latin in one or other of its various forms, then Social War should be regarded as primarily responsible. Manifestly this was a conflict with enduring consequences. Yet Social War is also a poorly documented war. The loss of relevant books of Livy means that we have to rely for most part on Appian, and first book of his Civil Wars is a somewhat sketchy and none too well organized account. Consequently, to many of questions that concern war and demand a reply, only conjectural answers can be supplied; and this happens to be true even about cause of war. True, in broad general terms it is not difficult to account for its outbreak. For, like other great conflicts, it had its underlying reason as well as its immediate casus belli; and, whereas usually it is former that is more difficult to divine and define, for Social War curiously enough it is one thing about which there is substantial agreement. The refusal of Romans to grant Roman citizenship to their Italian allies was, to use Thucydides' famous expression, the truest explanation. But what was immediate casus belli? The uprising of Picentes at Asculum, following hard on heels of murder of Livius Drusus, in latter part of 91 B.c. is often regarded as spark that detonated explosion. Yet this should more properly be regarded as beginning of actual hostilities, and that is precisely how Livy (Per. 72) describes it,