Was Rome better as a republic or as an empire?

I think that based on Rome's early history Rome was better off as an empire. Although we don't believe in dictators and empires in modern ages, it worked for the Romans while they lasted as a civilization. In early Rome there were many instances where the Romans almost reached the point of civil war because of the differences in social classes. During the time of the Emperors, however, I feel as though Rome had more peace within itself, if not with the rest of the world. There was more control and more stability in the Roman Empire than there was in the Republic of Rome. Although the situations and beliefs are different in modern times, at that point in history Rome was able to thrive and survive as a more stable civilization if one person was calling the shots, instead of the continuous arguing and fighting that would go on between social classes in the Republic.