By: Ansh Patel

In 49 BCE, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river and started a civil war that would set Rome on the path to becoming an empire. However, while he is revered modern-day for his military prowess and leadership, he would not live to see the Roman Empire come to fruition. On March 15th, 44 BC, also known as the “Ides of March,” Caesar was assassinated. His nephew Octavian (also known by the name Augustus) immediately assumed power, and ruled with an iron fist. He hunted down all of Caesar’s Assassins and executed any opposition, and was a bona fide dictator. The Roman Empire lasted for 450 years in the west and 1450 years in the east, and is to date the longest running empire in history. Now, almost 2000 years later, is it still possible to see a repeat of these events? Will another Caesar or Octavian-like figure take power in the emerging political chaos of the 21st century? Well, let’s analyze everything we know and see the possibility.

A ‘Caesar-like figure’ is defined, among other things, as someone from the upper class or nobility by National Geographic and History.com. Caesar himself was descended from Gaius Marius, a powerful Roman general. A modern Caesar, therefore, would have to be very rich or have powerful connections like most upper class citizens do. They would also have to be well liked by the people of the lower and middle classes, like Caesar was in Ancient Roman times. They would have to be willing to side with the people and speak out against governmental figures as well as their fellow upper-class citizens despite the risk of slander or assassination. Before Caesar was assassinated, he faced attempts from the Roman consul to throw him off and was the subject of vehement criticism. A Caesar-like figure, if he were to rise in the modern-day, would need to have most or all of these traits to be successful.

There are many people who could be considered as candidates to become a modern-day Caesar. One man that comes to mind almost instantly is Donald J. Trump. According to Forbes, he is an upper class citizen with a net worth of about 5.4 billion US dollars. He also knows many powerful people due to his wealth, including Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He is well liked by the people of the United States, as he has his own group of loyal followers who will support him at all costs. A prime example of this blind trust was shown on January 6th, 2021, when Trump supporters rushed the capital building in response to Trump’s claims that the election was rigged. This also caused him to be hated by many politicians in Washington, including some from his own party. Earlier in July, Trump survived an assassination attempt, missing by only an inch. His response was the mark of a powerful man who knows exactly how to rally his people: A defiant fist in the air. However, Trump does not yet wield the kind of power that Julius Caesar did after acquiring Rome, but he could change that. If he defeats his yet-to-be-determined opponent in November, the only thing standing in his way would be American governmental system.

Another person who could be a modern-day Caesar is Russian president Vladimir Putin. Putin is a very wealthy man and has powerful connections thanks to his position as the Russian President. Like Trump, he challenges the democratic ideals of the modern world and is more or less a dictator in all but name. His only obstacle to world domination seems to be a stark lack of support from both the common man, and his political enemies that reach far across the globe.

Now while there are many other people who could become a modern-day Caesar, such as Xi Jinping of China, or perhaps Trump’s own son Barron Trump in the role of Octavius, these two seem to be the most similar to Caesar in the modern-day. In the swirling political chaos of the 21st century, it’s easy for us to become blinded from the inevitable repetition of history. In fact, most Americans scoff at the idea that a dictator could seize world-dominating power today. Nonetheless, if there’s anything that we can learn from history, it’s to expect the unexpected. It seems only time will tell if the rise of another Julius Caesar is near.