Augustus Caesar Two of the most destructive problems facing the late Roman Republic were the instability and disunity caused by incessant civil wars. Rome's rapid expansion after the Punic Wars led to socio-economic changes that permanently divided the state. Aristocratic and plebeian parties sought total control of Rome and attempted to destroy each other. The Civil War was the continuation of party politics by other means. Therefore, military power became supreme. Control of Roman armies gradually shifted from the legitimate government to the generals because soldiers began to pledge allegiance to their generals rather than to civil authorities. Once discharged from military service, the legionnaires no longer had a farm to return to and they were entirely dependent on the land and money that their generals could provide them since the government was unwilling or unable to provide a livelihood for the legionnaires. veterans. Thus, generals became autonomous centers of power. The general who dominated the most powerful army ruled the state. The repeated power struggles of these military strongmen sparked more civil wars which further undermined the stability and unity of the late Roman Republic. Augustus saw how civil war divided the Roman polity. He understood that control of the legions by civil government was necessary for the establishment of peace and order throughout the Roman Empire. He wanted to reorganize and introduce changes in the army to ensure that it would not rise again to support a triumphant general who would challenge the legitimacy of the state. Since war within the Empire was eliminated, the role of the legions has changed. Its main objectives were to protect the borders against foreign enemies and to pacify the conquered lands through the gradual introduction of the Roman language, law, administration and engineering. Augustus' priority was to reduce the number of legions from 60 to 28, thereby settling more than 100,000 veterans in colonies in Italy, Africa, Asia and Syria. While proscription financed previous resettlement efforts, the vast wealth of Egypt, which he had seized after Antony's defeat, subsidized Augustus' massive resettlement program. It increases troop salaries and regularizes the payment of pensions, consisting of land and money, to veterans. Augustus thus reduced the old threat that soldiers would swear allegiance to wealthy generals rather than the state. It also standardized the length of military service. The Roman Legion became a long-lived professional force with an esprit de corps that previous legions did not have. Each legion was commanded by an officer