Events During The Period Of The Republic

In ancient Rome, there were two classes the Patricians who were the descendants of the senators appointed by King Romulus, and the Plebeians or plebs who were the free and lower class people. There was a growing tension between the two classes right from the foundation of Rome. The tension escaladed following the fall of Etruscan king and the declaration of Rome as a republic; the rise of aristocrats? leadership.

“The Consuls lead the military and… bring matters requiring debate before the Senate. The Senate proposes laws and has the control of the treasury. It also handles crimes requiring an investigation…. The Assemblies… have the final say in passing or repealing laws, and… they make the final decision on the question of peace or war.”. This means that the Consuls and Senate each have the control of one part of the government, while the Assemblies can stop them if needed. If Polybius’s description of the Ancient Roman constitution is correct, then the Roman Republic may have been just as democratic as we Americans are

From 1790 to 1812 in America were tough times; Indians were constantly attacking the colonists, the population was steadily growing, making government control more and more difficult, among many other problems. These problems, though, are what shaped America to what we know it as today, as every problem created a solution that would continue to help America, some even to this day.

Rome was a highly hierarchical and class-conscious society; yet, since its power extended for centuries, the distinction between different classes varied in time. In the Roman kingdom and the early Roman Republic, the most important division in Roman society was between the Patricians and the Plebeians. The struggle for power between these two classes resulted in the development of the Roman system of government (McManus, 1997).

For 350 years the Roman Republic had grown, retracted, and grown again, surviving and thrived. Through it all the Romans never turned away from their basic founding principle that no king shall rein in Rome. Every year men stood for election and every year free ballots were cast by free citizens. The winner won and the looser lost, and power was transferred between them. It was a remarkable run and the republic’s track record was and is the case of much justifiable envy. The Roman’s success would be the undoing of the Roman republic. Over the years the republic had survived for two major reason, the lower class had not been so impoverished that they

The consuls controlled the army, decision on starting a war, what the laws were, and even how much taxes to collect. The two consuls had to agree in order to have anything happen, due to being able to “veto” one another, and nothing would occur. Additionally, other officials such as judges, magistrates, and tax collectors were elected, as well as the Ten “Tribunes of the People” who looked after the poor people of Rome that could “veto” anything the Senate voted for that could affect the poor in any bad way. The Senate was made up of 600 Patricians/Patrons that were aristocracy land owning men who protected as well as controlled clients that consisted of the poor people, slaves, and new comers. Due to the fact that once a person joins the Senate, they stay in it forever, it caused the Patricians/Patrons rule rather easily. Because the clients were protected it allowed the Patricians/Patrons to have power and influence over the community. However, the Senate could be vetoed by the People’s Assembly which is made up of Plebeians who are citizens, farmers, and traders that would gain power by going on strikes due to refusing to do their work. The Plebeians were not allowed to hold public office or marry Patricians/Patrons, yet fought back against the Patricians/Patrons

The Romans reformed their government and modified their political institutions. The concept of imperium, meaning the right to command was essential. Those who had imperium had privileges related to governing. The government's administration was given to two groups of people, the consuls. These consuls were responsible of the military affairs of Rome. They were chosen every year. Later, in 366 BCE, the status of praetor came to life. The praetor was responsible of the creation of laws and for taking care of pending tasks during the consuls’ absence. The Senate was also a major part of the Roman Republic’s political institutions. This group was composed by three hundred men, who

Initially, when looking back at the Roman Republic there are a plethora of elements to observe that made it up. The main thing that the Republic had since it has risen was its senate. The senate played a vital role in the political dimension of the Republic itself as one whole. Made up of roughly around three-hundred men, they had adjusted the Roman society to fit the needs it had to have to stay afloat. Senators had taken on jobs specifically preparing legislation, handling finances, managing foreign relations, and supervising the state religion (Lassieur 15). This all tied together in what led to orderly conduct and harmony. SPQR:Senatus Populusque Romanus, better known as the senate and people of Rome, have been found on Roman carvings (Chandler, Taplin, Bingham 21). Just this piece of evidence shows that they really did play an important part in the Republic. All of the senators came from being a magistrate elected by the 4 assemblies (Lassieur 15-17). The four assemblies; Canitia Centuriata, Concilium Plebis, Comitia

However, the real authority of the republic lay in the hands of the patricians this power could not and would not remain. The plebeians, who made up most of the army and did most of the real work, rebelled, going on strike and demanding an equal voice in the government. Out of this struggle came the Conflict of Order, a class “war” that lasted from 494 to 287 BCE. It was a fight that brought about meaningful change: a plebeian assembly, the Concilium Plebis. Through this new congress, the plebeians could elect tribunes who, like consuls, served for one year. Their primary function was to safeguard plebeian rights against patrician abuse. Their duties were in many ways like that of the consuls; however, they could veto any magistrate decision

The centers of political power were the two consuls and the Senate. In practice, the Senate made laws and governed.

Some time later the Roman government became a Republic and split itself into three segments. There was the Senate, which was made of Patricians and unusually wealthy Plebeians.The Assembly was the second part of this government. It was made of the Plebeian class and It elected Consuls, the leader of the Assembly. They choose who is elected in the Senate and to become one, you must be popular in the Assembly, or Plebeians. The Consuls also led the army into battle whenever Rome got into war or to suppress a rebellion.

At the beginning of the Roman Empire the aristocrats or Patrician party administrated the Roman Government. “The Government of the republic had three major parts: magistrates, who were elected each year to lead the army and run the government; the Senate, made up of wealthy aristocrats, the heads of noble families, and hereditary priests, who advised the magistrates; and the popular assemblies.” (Ward) The Patricians had the role of electing the magistrates in the Roman government and originally made up most of the army so therefore in return their votes counted more than the Plebeians in the main popular assemblies and the Senate. The Patricians leaving the Plebeians on the outside of the Government were utilizing the power in Rome. “The chief magistrates came to be called consuls. There were two elected each year.”(Ward) The role of being consul included controlling the Roman army and secondly, making governmental decisions. The Patricians had

This caused even more conflict in Rome, which is known as an inequality between the plebeians and patricians and led to the conflict known as the Struggle of the Orders (134). Their core values had completely reversed themselves from wanting to obtain a world power and authority into a culture that preferred things to be handed to them instead of going out and taking them like they had been doing, which led to the Romans being no longer free.

Historian Henrik Mouritsen notes, “Political rights do not exist in a vacuum, but are embedded in social and economic structures which determine the extent to which they can be realized in practice.” The constitution of the Roman republic, a civilization in ancient Rome that lasted from 509 to 27 BCE, laid out the three main sources of power: the magistrates, the senate, and the people in the assemblies. Magistrates included all elected or appointed public officials, from rulers to party planners; the senate consisted of prior consuls and aristocrats who advised the magistrates and assemblies; the assemblies of people elected public officials and voted for laws. Each of the three branches was intended to keep the other in check, with the

The Patricians and the plebeians formed a strong alliance to remove the kings and monarchy governments in the old Roman Empire. This led to the end of the kingship in Rome. However the fruits or the benefits that came out of this victory favored the Patricians more than the Plebeians. Therefore this essay look at the , three economic and political differences between the patricians and the plebeian classes ultimately led to a plebeian revolt.