Discuss the ways that Rome maintained the stability of its vast empire.

What will be an ideal response?

The Romans enfranchised those local populations that they found to be sufficiently loyal by granting them citizenship. They also improved local infrastructure, which brought tangible benefits to subject populations and their loyalty. Soldiers were given plots of land, which allowed for high living standards, which in turn increased their loyalty to Rome and discouraged rebellions. Augustus encouraged this stability by promoting lower-born subjects to positions of prominence and erasing the distinction between equites and patricians. This increased the loyalty of his subjects and likely nourished the lower classes’ hope of upward mobility.