Final answer:
The rise of the Roman Empire saw the urban poor suffer from unemployment and small farmers lose their land due to the dominance of wealthy landowners with slave-run plantations, as well as continued wars of expansion that benefited the elite but harmed the lower classes.
Step-by-step explanation:
As Rome transformed into an empire, two significant social issues arose: the urban poor faced unemployment, and small farmers lost their land. The urban poor, who had moved to cities in search of better opportunities, could not find stable jobs and grew dependent on state aid and public entertainment for support.
This was partly because the wealthy could afford large, slave-run plantations which outcompeted smallhold farmers, leading to unemployment for many who once worked the lands. Also, the armies and wars of expansion kept many away from their farms, only to return and find their land taken over, thus bolstering the ranks of the proletariat.
Land confiscation by the rich was also common, with powerful landowners either extorting the small farmers or directly seizing their land, often accompanied by threats or violence. The poorer citizens could not compete with the wealth and power of the elites and often had no legal recourse.
Moreover, the expansionist wars of Rome continued despite the negative effects on farmers because the elite benefitted from conquests, which spread the burdens of conflict disproportionately onto the lower classes, including the risk of famine and riots due to disruptions in essential supplies like grain.
The overall situation led to extreme wealth disparities, with the elite landowners' wealth growing exponentially at the expense of the poor. Political corruption, societal unrest, and the inadequate representation of the lower classes in government further fueled the problems, culminating in an inequitable society where most citizens and subjects remained trapped in their social class with limited upward mobility