Meet the Trump of Ancient Rome, a Populist Demagogue Who Helped Bring Down the Republic

Populism has a long and colorful history in American politics, from Huey Long on the left and George Wallace on the right, to -- more recently -- Ross Perot in 1992 and Donald Trump today. But the roots of populism stretch much further back in time -- more than two millennia, to the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic.

For most of its history, the Roman Republic was governed by old political families and reliable power brokers who knew how to keep the masses in line. Elections were held, but they were deliberately designed to give the ruling classes the lion's share of the popular vote. If the Roman aristocracy, which voted first, chose a man for office, officials often would not even bother to count the ballots cast by the lower classes.

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