# Augustus Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE), born Octavian and the adopted heir of [[Julius Caesar]], became the first Roman emperor after defeating Mark Antony at Actium in 31 BCE, converting the Roman Republic into a monarchy in all but name (see [[Ancient Rome]]). His genius was disguise: he ruled as sole autocrat while scrupulously preserving the outward forms of the Republic — the Senate, the consulships, the language of *res publica restituta* ("the republic restored"). That move — autocracy wearing republican dress — is the archetype of [[Caesarism]], and it is exactly the template invoked in the contemporary "American Caesar" discourse on the [[Neoreaction]] right. See [[Antiquity in Right-Wing Thought Hub]]. ## See also [[Ancient Rome]] · [[Julius Caesar]] · [[Caesarism]] · [[Neoreaction]] · [[Antiquity in Right-Wing Thought Hub]]