Throughout history factions inside democratic and republican governments have engaged in extreme measures that they justify as necessary to save the republic from some alleged threat. The non stop attacks on Trump have occurred in similar manner to populists who challenge the powerful.
And what mostly happened was that the powerful would violate the laws and norms they claimed to follow and respect to destroy populists. Each time they did so, it moved the republic or democracy further away from its roots and set up greater deviations from the foundation of the nation.
Tiberius Gracchus was of the Roman ruling class. His father was a two-time consul and later served as censor. His father celebrated two triumphs. His mother was of the Claudius clan and his maternal grandfather was Scipio Africanus of the Cornelia clan, who had defeated Hannibal and Carthage in the Second Punic War. He was born 63 or so years prior to Julius Caesar.
In short, he had a strong position in Roman aristocracy and should have been a strong upholder of the Roman Republic. He lived in a period often called the “Middle Republic”, during which Rome expanded into Spain, Africa, and Greece, becoming one of the most powerful nations on earth while still having limited citizenship.
Tiberius was bothered by the changes which occurred during the expansion of Roman rule. Roman citizens who fought in the armies didn't share in the bounty of the expansion. Their families and farms suffered in their absence and they faced new competition from latifundia, large slave-worked plantations, mostly with slaves from wars.
Tiberius wanted land from conquests to be given to the poor, not to factory farms. This was not the first land reform proposal, but Tiberius threatened the order. Tiberius ran for tribune in 133 BC. This was in itself unusual given Tiberius’ status. Tribunes had been a later addition to the Roman Republic, a way to protect the rights of normal citizens.
Tiberius became extremely popular and refused to give up his plan under pressure. The plutocrats used their own tribune to veto Tiberius’ law. The plutocrats had taken land without permission and didn't want to give it up. Tiberius attempted to compromise but had no success.
Finally, he had the law voted on without senate approval. The senate refused to support the law. Eventually, the plutocrats gathered forces and killed Tiberius and his followers, without them fighting back.
This was the first major use of political violence in the Roman Republic. This was far from the last time. It normalized violence to end disputes. This brought about the Late Roman Republic, which featured civil wars, assassinations, purges, and all manner of strife, along with expansion of power and reach. Luckily for Rome, it ended in the establishment of the Roman Empire, which kept the trappings of the Republic.
I don’t know if we will get that lucky. Usually once a republic or democracy enters the political violence stage (not the pretend political violence), it is a sign that the end is near. Some might say that this breaking of the norms in America started in November of 1963 in Dallas. The Roman Republic descended into a large scale turmoil within half a century. Given that standard, we are due.
The norms that are broken are much more than just physical violence. When political actors justify breaking laws, rules, and norms to stop someone else who is allegedly doing the same, they have already broken the thing they claim they are attempting to protect.
Indeed nothing new about all this. Even in the US, really there are parallel examples. There already was a coup. Everything now is to prevent reversal of it. I’m beginning to wonder if things will get so bad, even government employees will be willing to vote for Trump. But the way it’s all going at the moment, the election may end up thrown to congress. Interesting times…