One of the most substantial reasons why we have different countries and nations is because different groups of people developed significantly different cultures in different places. This is also what makes it hard to integrate when there are mass migration movements. How was the Roman Empire able, more than a thousand years ago and with rudimentary technology compared to today, to successfully assimilate and cohesively unite hundreds of different cultures?
A significant part of its success was the liberty that Romans would give to their provinces and subjects, both in governance structure on how the provinces were managed, as in religious freedom on what each culture practice. But the key was to incentivize more people to become Roman, which was done by incentivizing people to take on military service.
Before the second century CE, the Roman legions were primarily composed of Roman citizens, whereas the auxilia (auxiliary units) comprised non-citizens from various corners of the empire. After 25 years of military service, auxiliary soldiers were granted Roman citizenship, a coveted status that provided personal and legal privileges, including the right to marry under Roman law and the legal rights held by other Roman citizens.
The granting of citizenship was used as an incentive for cultural assimilation. This practice helped stabilize frontier regions and create a Romanized elite in distant provinces, which was crucial for maintaining the empire's administrative and cultural cohesion. However, this practice ended in 212 CE with the publication of the Edict of Caracalla, which granted citizenship to all inhabitants to increase taxation. This move was viewed by some as the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire.
Craving more? Check out the source behind this Brain Snack!
