Rome only fought defensive battles.

*proves you wrong*

>>2496306
This. Those Britannians had some nerve marching on Rome.

>>2496306

3rd Punic War.

>>2496326
The Romans were landing on the beaches of Britannia when they were attacked by thuggish Britons. They quite literally didn't do nothing.

>>2496330
propaganda

>>2496306
proving a retard wrong would make me seem like a bully

>>2496446
>Guys I'm just taking my legions for a stroll through your lands, don't do anything or you're the bad guy :^)

Fucking Romans.

>>2496306
well they only ever claimed to fight defensive battles.

And their formations were generally stationary and defensive so even when they "attack" they're really just defending provocatively and getting the enemy to charge them, rarely were the Roman soldiers "charging" as most attacking forces would do. They played defense even when they were playing offense, Caesar's tactics all involved supporting the flanks of his shield wall.

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>>2496446

>>2496498
Ehhmmm why does this sound familiar to modern days?

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>>2496498

>>2496306
The Empire spent most of its history crossing the frontier and burning villages in the barbaricum. It was half the reason the small tribes beyond the frontiers gradually coalesced into the massive confederations that became known as the Franks, Saxons and Suebi.

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Republican Rome was an aggressive banditry state, using every pretext to start a war and using every war to steal everything and to enslave everyone they could. War was the Republican Rome's business model, it could sustain themselves neither politically nor economically without wars of conquest with streams of slaves and plunder. Every social class in the Republic benefited directly from wars, and waging of wars was in the center of the political life.

>>2500056
The republic fought only defensive wars for eaither itself or for its allies. Any spoils that were had for Rome and its people were very generous towards the defeated enemies.

>>2500056
In the later Roman Republic, yes. The early Republic was very defense oriented in nature. Gradually they fell into decadence, materialism, and war became a tool used primarily to boost the ego of the elite.

>>2500066
>Ally everyone
>Now you can intervene in every war and call it "defensive"
They literally allied Sagentum just to have a pretext to declare war on Carthage, same with conquest of Greece - they allied to Aetolians to have a pretext for a war with Phillip, then allied with Acheans to have a pretext for a war with Aetolians and then allied with Sparta to have a pretext for a war with Acheans. Or when Capua or Syracuse allied Romans only to be sieged and destroyed by them latter. Being an ally of Rome meant you're just a step further from being attacked than the rest.
> were very generous towards the defeated enemies
Just like they were generous to Carthagenians and Corinthians in 146 BC, or to 150000 Epiriots they enslaved literally without any reason, or to to 1mln Gauls Caesar genocided, or to hundred of thousands of Spaniards killed during 200 years of constant warfare.
>>2500080
>In the later Roman Republic, yes
I'd say it started with the Middle Republic, Samnite Wars were imperialistic wars.
>war became a tool used primarily to boost the ego of the elite
Actually all the classes benefited from war, poor and middle classes volunteered en mass for oversea campaigns because they expected to enrich themselves on plunder and slaves, and they usually did.

>>2500104
My Roman Republic history is pretty spotty these days but I recall wars like the 3rd Punic War where those who served came home to find their farms either left to rot or appropriated by the upper classes. They were basically stabbed in the back as I remember it. Poorer classes gradually became overshadowed by the elites politically and economically as the Republic declined and gradually turned into an Empire. It wouldn't surprise me if the poor used any means available to them to get wealth or power, they needed it to compete and survive.

>>2496306
>Widespread Roman Meme

>>2500171
> the 3rd Punic War where those who served came home to find their farms either left to rot or appropriated by the upper classes
It lasted for 3 years only and they came back after sacking and destroying possibly the richest city in the Mediterranean and enslaving its population. If wars were ruinous for the lower classes they would actively evaded the conscription. We know they did that with Spanish wars, because Spain was piss poor and had nor prospect for looting, but everyone was super eager to go fight in a war in the east. I mean, the first time a Roman army marched on Rome was because the solders wanted to go fight Mithridates and politicians in Rome suddenly decided to send another army.