I'm reading The Discourses again by Machiavelli. Later I want to look at Rousseau, who I understand also took the Roman Republic as a model of sorts. I want to be able to understand their thinking better by having a more solid understanding of the history of Rome and the republic's political institutions.
What are the best books and authors for this? I realize Livy would be a natural place to start, but I've also heard from others that it's a ton of name-dropping and can be hard to follow. Would Livy still be recommended? If so, are there still some other authors worth looking at, considering that some have accuse Livy of having certain biases as well.
There are always more recommendations that can be made, but the subreddit's booklist provides a great starting point with several options for you to look into.
I've got two I'd recommend for you....
Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician
By Anthony Everitt
This one would be more viewing it through the eyes of Cato, but I think it would really bring a lot of that into shape as he interacts with the political insitutions.
The Tragedy of Empire: From Constantine to the Destruction of Roman Italy
By Michael Kulikowski
This one I think could be perfect, as it starts with the late 4th century and how they managed such a large region and the system they built. As well as what happened when pressure began to grow both political and from external forces on it...
btw, the author of this one also did a list here on The Best Books On Rome In The Third Century.