Reform Aversion and the Death of the Roman Republic: The demise of the Roman Republic arguably fits the circumstances identified in recent scholarship examining how democracies can be taken over by authoritarians.

The article considers the demise of the Roman Republic as an illustration of how democracies can be taken over by authoritarians and shows the reform aversion of the Roman body politic to changed geopolitical circumstances. Topics discussed include reforms carried out by the Senate and the popular assemblies between 367 and 287 Before the Common Era (BCE), Senate resistance to Tiberius Gracchus' reforms, and the social and political cost of the reform aversion of the senatorial aristocracy.