I think that Julius Caesar was a dictator because Caesar made some reforms to the Senate. Caesar wouldn't conquer such land without fighting. The reason why Caesar made reforms to the Senate was to have more people support him. He thought that he would stay in power for a longer time with support and not get overthrown by the Senate. When Caesar was the dictator of Rome for his whole life, he learned some of the basic rules for an empire and for how to be an emperor. Caesar also showed that he wanted power when the Senate decided that Pompey who became the military and political leader of the Roman Republic later on. Caesar didn't want to give up his army and not to stop ruling, even after he was warned by some people for not to cross the Rubicon River, but he did with his five thousand soldiers. After he started a civil war because of this and he didn't care about it at all. In conclusion, Caesar wanted his power.
