(1) For nearly 500 years Rome was a republic in which the people ________ representatives and leaders. (2) The ________ of the republic valued hard work, discipline, and loyalty. (3) As the republic gained power, territory, and wealth, these values __________. The gap between rich and poor grew, farmers lost their land, and respect for the law declined. (4) Civil war broke out and the ________ fell into crisis. (5) Julius Caesar, a general, returned to Rome from Gaul, defeated his rivals, and declared himself ________ for life. (6) __________ made many reforms, but members of the Senate feared his power and murdered him. (7) Caesar's nephew took power and gained the __________ of the Senate. (8) Augustus Caesar became the first _________ of Rome and the republic no longer existed.