Optimates and Populares

Optimates and Populares

Ideological positions in ancient Rome that became defined in the early 1st century BC. Both groups came from the wealthier classes. The Optimates (Latin: “Best Ones,” “Aristocrats”) promoted the dominance of the Senate and the proper balance of the constitution. The Populares (“Demagogues,” “Populists”) used and defended the powers of the popular assemblies and the office of tribune and advocated such measures as land distribution, debt cancellation, and subsidized grain allowances. Their polarization led to civil wars—notably those between Julius Caesar and Pompey and between Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Antony—and the fall of the republic with Augustus's accession.