Social, Political, and Economic Structures of Imperial Rome 99The age of Augustus and the early emperors has
been called the peak of Roman civilization and its
achievements were great, but beneath the surface, so-
cial polarization continued to limit economic growth
and lay the foundation for future crises. The pax romana
was something of an illusion. Roman rule masked, but
did not resolve, underlying political and economic ten-
sions in many parts of the empire. Riots and revolts
were common and became more so with the passage of
time. The empire, in short, was barely sustainable even
in the absence of external threats, and it had become
obvious even in the reign of Augustus that a threat of
monumental proportions was developing in the north.
Masses of Germanic tribesmen had begun to press
against the Rhine and Danube frontiers. Unprece-
dented efforts were needed to contain them, and, as
time would tell, the social and economic structures of
the empire proved unequal to the task.