Lex Fridman · Was the Roman Empire a military dictatorship? | Anthony Kaldellis and Lex Fridman

1. 1. The Byzantine Empire did not have a term in Greek that corresponds to the modern notion of 'empire'; they called it 'basileia' (monarchy) or 'politeia' (polity).
2. 2. The Eastern Roman Empire is better described as a 'monarchic republic' because it was a polity governed by a monarch who was expected to serve the republic.
3. 3. The Eastern Roman Empire was not a military dictatorship because the army was almost never used as an instrument of social control over the population.
4. 4. The army's involvement in choosing emperors through civil wars did not make the state a military dictatorship, as the army did not impose its will on society at large.
5. 5. The term 'empire' is conventionally misapplied to the Byzantine state, especially in its later period when it was a minor power with only a few islands.
6. 6. Justinian was the only Byzantine emperor who used the army to suppress his own population, which was exceptional.