Final answer:
Cicero's speeches and writings reveal that the conspiracy against the Roman Republic was embedded within its own power structures, not merely a plot by external agents; the institutions meant to guard the Republic were compromised and involved in its subversion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Throughout various speeches, Cicero indicated that the conspiracy did not involve only clandestine activities or the vulnerabilities of individuals but rather implicated the structures of power and governance. Highlighting the failures and complicity of magistrates and the systematic undermining of the Roman Republic, Cicero's laments point out that the conspiracy reached into the very institutions that were supposed to protect the state. He discussed the threats to his own safety and to the Republic, the corruption of consuls, and the involvement of influential individuals such as Gabinius and Piso in granting authority and funds to undermine the state and aid those seeking power illicitly. Cicero's works, including his speeches and letters, emphasize the pervasive corruption and breakdown of the Republic's legal and political mechanisms, which did not protect against the conspiracy as they were, in many cases, part of it.