Caesar Augustus Two of the most destructive problems plaguing the late Roman Republic were the instability and disunity caused by incessant civil wars. Rome's rapid expansion after the Punic Wars brought about socioeconomic changes that permanently divided the state. Both aristocratic and plebeian parties sought total control of Rome and attempted to destroy each other. The civil war was the continuation of party politics by other means. As a result, military power became supreme. Control of Rome's armies progressively shifted from the legitimate government to the generals because soldiers began to pay their allegiance to their generals rather than to the civil authorities. After discharge from military service, the legionaries had no farms to return to and were entirely dependent on the land and money their generals could provide as the government was unwilling or unable to provide a livelihood for the veterans. Therefore, the generals became autonomous centers of power. The general who dominated the strongest army ruled the state. The repeated power struggles of these military strongmen triggered other civil wars that further undermined the stability and unity of the late Roman Republic. Augustus saw how civil war created divisions in the Roman political system. He understood that control of the legions by the civil government was necessary to restore peace and order throughout the Roman Empire. He wanted to reorganize and institute changes in the army to ensure that it did not rise again in support of some triumphant general to challenge the legitimacy of the state. Since warfare within the Empire was eliminated, the role of the legions changed. Its main objectives were to protect the borders from foreign enemies and to pacify the conquered lands through the gradual introduction of Roman language, law, administration and engineering. Augustus' priority was to reduce the number of legions from 60 to 28, thus establishing more than 100,000 veterans in colonies in Italy, Africa, Asia, and Syria. While the proscription had funded previous resettlement attempts, Egypt's vast wealth, which it seized after Antony's defeat, subsidized Augustus's massive resettlement program. He increased the troops' pay and regularized the payment of pensions, which consisted of land and money, to veterans. Augustus thus reduced the old threat of soldiers giving allegiance to wealthy generals rather than to the state. He also standardized the length of military service. The Roman legion became a professional, long-serving force, with a decorative spirit that previous legions did not have. Each legion was commanded by an officer