Compare And Contrast The Revolt Of Patricians And Plebeians

Ancient Rome was split into two classes: the aristocrats, known as the patricians, and the lower class, known as the plebeians. They lived harmoniously alongside each other for a while, but after Rome began to rise from it’s ashes the plebeians became resentful and decided to take action. To fully understand the degree of their anger some light needs to be shined on their situation, and how the patricians treated them.

The Plebeians were the merchants, farmers, and the craft workers of Rome. The Plebeians refused to fight in Rom’s way in after the Senate declared war in 491 BC. This was because the Patricians forbade the Plebeians from taking part in the Senate, so they stood their grounds and decided not to take part in their war. It is told that the Plebeians removed themselves from the city until a time they had the right to elect their own leaders, which This Historians calls the struggle of the orders. Also, their great struggle aid in the continued effort of the plebeians to achieve political equality to safe guard economic relief for their less fortunate people, and to break the political and religious control (monopoly) of the patricians. The Plebeians didn’t remain under the control the Patricians forever. It took some time, but bit by bit, closer to the end of the early republic they were partly successful and took back some control they could of the old priesthoods, the office of interim head of state and possibly the senate leader. In the late republic to the 1st century BC, distinctions between patricians and plebeians lost political importance for differences or distinctions; in fact, some patricians were adopted and became plebeians and so on. Regarding the first plebian revolt: It led to the removal of debts and the freedom at last from the hash laws and control they were put under. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.) the tribune was elected by the plebeians which symbolizes freedom and where their people now had a voice. Their objectives were to offer their people, mostly the less privilege a better and safe livelihood. The

Patricians hold all the offices in ancient Rome and plebeians who outnumbered them were mostly farmers, craftsmen and soldiers. Therefore one can understand that practically while plebeians had no rights or knowledge, they were in an advantageous position as patricians couldn’t defend the city or do any kind of job without their help. Plebeians couldn’t tolerate the increasing debt and the abuse of patricians and demanded equality, by blackmailing the patricians

Plebeians pressured the patricians to make political concessions, one result being the publication of laws which served as a check on decisions by judicial officers. New officials and tribunes were created and were drawn from non-elite classes. They could veto or block actions the Assembly or officials that threatened lower order interests.

Chapter three labeled "Empire Urban life and imperial Majesty in Rome,China,and India. In Republican Rome a man named Romulus inaugurated traditional distinction between the patricians and the plebian. The patricians were the where the land owners who were also aristocrats that served as priests, magistrates, lawyers and/or judges. The plebian were the lower classed poor people who consisted of craftsmen, merchants and laborers. In 510 BCE the roman people expelled the last Etruscan kings and decided to rule themselves with without the need for a monarchy.

During the Conflict of Orders, the lower class Romans, or plebeians, forced the upper class Romans, known as patricians, to give them more rights and liberties (Hadas 1969).

The trials of political success and error throughout history, have led to more efficient and authentic ways of governing, making nations stronger over the course of time. While the United States and the Roman Republic share similar political systems, the structure of the Roman Republic is in many ways flawed compared to the modern Democratic Republic of the U.S. nation. The Roman Republic’s rigid social structure flawed their political system because there was less flexibility within the social ladder, affecting citizens and their opportunity to be elected into office. The Republic’s society was made up of two distinct and separate social classes, the Patricians and the Plebeians. “In the early years of the Roman Republic, patricians controlled all the religious and political offices; plebeians had no right of appeal against decisions of the patrician government, since no laws were codified or published.

Only the highly educated and wealthy class made up the Senate. The Concilium Plebis only consisted of representatives for the Plebeians, and the Comitia Centuriata represented most of the landowning class. Both the popular assemblies were given pre-discussed debates, and any disagreements with the Senate were rare. Furthermore, the Consuls, who were the most prestigious magistrates and “the military and political heads of state” were also advised by the Senate (Gwynn, 20).

Also, since the plebeians were the working class of farmers, laborers, artisans, and

They could be even get elected to the senate and be consuls. Wealthy plebeians became part of the Roman nobility. The patricians always held a majority of the wealth and power in Ancient Rome. One of Rome's most famous senators, Cicero, was a plebeian. Because he was the first of his family to be elected to the senate, he was called a "New Man."

It can be seen that the problem was that patrician were lording power over the plebeians. Electing tribunes to protect the rights of a plebeian was important because it helped the empire be fair and equal to all the citizens which helped everyone be content. This prevented violent demonstrations from breaking out.

The situation between the patricians and the plebs were just social classification that had some aims for the Roman executives that the plebs seemed just like foreigners, although they were rich, very rich, poor, or military personal. Yes, they involved in many business and military activities, but they were not allowed to be commanders or leaders in the military at first, but later, the plebs took the advantage of some privileges after the social reform, for example, Lex Licinia Sextia. The plebs demanded for social reforms because they wanted to pay off their debts, to make profits through their lands and farms, to have lands to use and make them be profitable for themselves, and to have some executive duties to represent the other

- Create a new office, that of tribune of the people to protect plebeians from any oppressive acts of the patrician magistrate, and gave them an inviolability.

In the Roman Republic, citizens were divided into two political castes: the Patricians and Plebeians. The Patricians were a wealthy upper class who were descended from the earliest Roman families, while the Plebeians were essentially "everyone else." As I have explored in the fourth entry of my Learning Journal, one reason why the Plebeians were so important was that they comprised the vast majority of Rome's total population. As such, they had certain power to control the direction of the Republic; without them, Rome could not function, and the Plebeian class put this power to use on more than one occasion. Their many secessio (secessions) would become known as the Conflict of the Orders (McManus, n.d.).

They deserted their general and decided they would form their own city and defected beyond Anio, to a hill they called the Sacred Mount. The patricians suddenly realized that this defection would cause the destruction of the Rome and began negotiations in earnest. A new protocol was made and it was decided that all the debts would be canceled and any persons that were imprisoned due to debt were released. The most significant result of this first secession was the appointment of Tribunes for the