INTRO: A leader who went against history and followed his instincts. Leaders have great importance in society and play key roles. Leaders set moral standards, maintain the organization through a series of laws and reforms, and are essential to a prosperous society. Augustus was the first emperor of Rome and eventually became the most powerful leader of his time. Augustus restored order to Rome, but thereby brought an end to the Roman Republic. Although Augustus' reign brought an end to the Roman Republic, he should be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world because he led a series of economic and political reforms establishing a period of peace and prosperity throughout the empire. BODY I: Augustus initiated numerous social, economic and political reforms in order to improve society. One of the first revisions he made was to review the list of senators. He believed this was of great importance because senators represent the people. If senators do a poor job and do not speak or listen for the people, many problems will occur. This may include a riot because people are unhappy with the decisions made. This would therefore reflect negatively on Augustus. Furthermore he also visited many Roman institutions. The changes he made were based on a sense of rationalism, for the good of society rather than for his personal needs. With Augustus the Urban Proletariat was born. This refers to those of extremely low class who sell their labor to survive. Being constituted as a proletariat meant that the government occasionally helped and gave them bread along with other things. This shows that Augustus cared for others and wanted the best for his people. In order… middle of paper… causes can occur when people do not know their place in political power and social class. This led to another unorganized period of time. A leader who holds the majority of power and is untrustworthy to his people is not good, so a good leader is someone who shares power and is honest and trustworthy. Conclusion: Ending the Roman Republic may have meant changing history, but Augustus is not only known as the first emperor of Rome, but is considered one of the best leaders in history for the success of his reforms, as well as the peace and prosperity of his empire. During the forty-five years of Augustus' reign, countless reforms were made to create a thriving and stable society. Although some might disagree with his rule at times, the end result proved that Augustus was the right ruler. After all, the end does not justify the means??