What was Sulla's major political move in 82 BCE, and what precedent did it set?

• A. A dictatorship to reform the constitution; it set the precedent that a commander could wield dictatorship and proscribe opponents.
• B. A peace treaty with the Senate to end civil strife.
• C. Attempted reform to abolish the consulship.
• D. Dismissal of the Senate and creation of a new governing body

Answer: (A)

Taking extreme power through a lawful-looking office and using it to rewrite rules shows how military force could override Rome’s normal political processes. In 82 BCE, Sulla seized the dictatorship with his army at his back and set out to reform the constitution and restore what he saw as traditional authority. He used that dictatorial authority to purge opponents via proscriptions, reshaping the Senate and recalibrating the balance between magistrates and the people. This move established a troubling precedent: a commander could plunge into politics, seize dictatorial powers, and manipulate laws to target rivals, turning military victory into lasting political leverage. That pattern of military power translating into political control would echo in later civil wars and undermine the Republic’s norms.

The other options don’t fit the event as it unfolded. It wasn’t about a peace treaty to end civil strife, nor about abolishing the consulship, and it wasn’t a dismissal of the Senate to create a new governing body. The defining action was the dictatorship and the proscriptions that accompanied it, along with the constitutional changes Sulla pursued under that authority.