Caesar. &lt;i&gt;The Roman republic was born out of fear of ever being ruled by a tyrant.&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;Its founding principle was that no individual should hold too much power&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;and every political office should be subJect to regular re-election.&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;But Caesar had demanded an extension of his powers without election,&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;putting himself in conflict with those fundamental rules.&lt;/i&gt;