swc@cbscc.UUCP (Scott W. Collins) (04/05/85)
~ I always thought that the Bread referred to Jesus Christ (remember the believers were "Son Worshipers") and the Circuses referred to the cruel Roman arena. The followers of Christ (bread of life) were thrown into the arena as happened on Earth in the days of old. Just watching A.D. which showed the cruelty of the Caeser reinforces this. Scott
chris@leadsv.UUCP (Chris Salander) (04/09/85)
At the height of the Roman Empire, Rome was the most
populous city on Earth, with a population estimated to
be as high as 1 million people, and at least several
hundred thousand. At any given time half of these
people were unemployed.
Originally, the problem was not so bad, but Emperors
started giving away free bread and providing free admission
to special games to enhance their popularity. Unfortunately,
this cause all the loose souls in the Empire to gravitate
to Rome. Eventually, the masses became so numerous that they
became a real threat. Combined with the Praetorian Guard,
the Roman MOB started deciding who would be Emperor. As a
result, continuing to provide adequate quantities of free
BREAD AND CIRCUSES became a major item in the Imperial budget
and became critical to an Emperor's success or survival.
Most of the unemployed would spend their day at the games
and spend their evenings collecting their food. It is an
interesting example of how a welfare state can come to control
(and cripple) the national state.