How Did The Patricians Lead To A Plebeian Revolt

Looking at Rome’s political struggles at the dawn of the first century B.C., it becomes apparent that the groundwork for Caesar’s Republic shattering revolt was lain down by Marius and Sulla. To be more specific, the stage was set by the class struggles between the Aristocracy, who demanded control of the Republic by virtue of tradition, and the masses, which demanded a voice.

As individuals, plebeians had no political power, however, as a group they were strong indeed. Essentially, the working class was the life force of Rome itself, and they became resentful that they were being commanded to protect and supply the very aristocracy that kept them in crippling poverty, debt, and

To begin, the Roman Republic seemed to have several problems before Octavian or Caesar Augustus entered as the ruler. There were political problems between the classes which caused much of the trouble. There were a few classes, the Nobiles which contained the patricians and the plebeians. There were two types of aristocratic leaders the optimates the populares. There was conflict between the two aristocratic groups, which had caused more political turmoil. (p. 112)

The Plebeans were less wealthy people of Rome. They were farmers and working class people who could not hold Government officers. Then there were the slaves who were conquered people from other countries or people in debt. The social structure also involved the Pate Family, which was when the male members of the family were in charge. In the United Sates today there is an Upper Class of rich and powerful people, The middle class of working class people, and the lower class, which are made up of poverty stricken

The most significant cause for the change from a republic to and emperor- state was solely due the functional system difference, the republic was unable to control the vast empire while the imperial system could. The problems raised by the Roman republic’s size were that it was not able to control the military, which was a problem that led to many Civil wars and murder. In contrast with the Imperial repressive powers vested in an emperor combined with a small

Tudor England encountered problems with their economy and society. The society suffered from economic issues such as enclosure and bad harvest but also, they encountered problems with the nobility and the government. These issues concerned the majority of the people that started off rebellions. However, there were evidently rebellions that did not emphasise the problems of economic and social issues and saw these problems as one of the reasons for the rebellion. This clearly shows that economic and social issues were not the main cause of rebellions. Therefore, it will be argued that economic and social issues were a contributory cause and that faction is

The Plebeians even left the city and never to

It is clear that the dynamics that characterized Rome’s society during the Republic were never easy. There was a constant push and pull of intentions and interests between Patricians and Plebeians. The Patricians always wanting to maintain economic and political supremacy while the Plebeians were in constant

The optimates advocated for traditional governance approaches pertinent to Rome while the Populares advocated for the growth of the powers of the Plebeian assembly. Before the rift could be addressed, the Plebian assembly and the Senate started antagonizing each other. The senate managed to outwit the Plebian assembly and assume powers as the highest political organ in the Republic. Around the same period, there was influx of money and goods into Rome. This had the effect of turning the Roman system from land ownership controlled to a social setting where a few individuals who were mainly senators were able to enrich themselves (Morato, p.4). With wealth, the fight for political power would soon emerge turning the senators against each other. Tiberius and his brother Gaius ended up being assassinated along with their followers because they sought to shield the Senate from the corruption. Unrest began within the republic in the 2nd century B.C.E. Marius reorganized the army during the social war. He would later fight in the civil war against Lucius Sulla who eventually won. Sulla sought to shield his power through doubling of the number of senators. Most of the new senators were those loyal to him. The doubling of the senate ensured that it had veto powers over the assembly. Julius Caesar took advantage of the unrest to gain authority as consul and consolidate power with what was referred to as the 1st Triumvirate with two others. The powers of the senate and the assembly had been depleted leaving the institutions only as titles. The Republic was falling apart and leading to the rise of the Roman Empire (Wiseman,

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.

So how did they shape the perceptions of the people, including the illiterate plebeian’s, in their favour? How did they transmit their power to the furthest reaches of their territory and achieve, maintain and promote an atmosphere of peace, prosperity and good governance when Rome was in conflict? While written works, such as the pro-Roman writings of Livy, were used as

First, the most prominent men in Rome were corrupted by greed, jealousy and ambition. Prominent persons brought the state to chaos, disorder, and tyranny in their quest for ultimate prestige and power. Through their moral failures and political dishonesty, this brought about republics violent and chaotic demise. Second, candidates to office had become accustomed to using dishonest methods to achieve their aims. Offices, positions and power were openly being bought and sold with bribery and electrol violence rife in the system. One of the biggest contributing factors to the collapse of the roman republic was corruption in the government. Rome increasingly put power into the hands of a select, wealthy few. Only the rich could become magistrates, and the votes of the wealthy citizens had more weight than the votes of the common people. The tax collectors were also corrupt, extorting money from the people and keeping it for themselves, depriving the government of badly needed funds. This led to bankruptcy due to the cost of defending the empire, the failing economies and high inflation. An unequal class system created enmity between rich and poor, and even between factions of the poor. Unscrupulous leaders turned the people against each other dueling political agendas. Social, economic and political instability created a Rome where citizens hungered for leadership. Third,

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.

Rome felt under constant threat, at the beginning of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was initially ruled by the rich and powerful. This ruling began “After the overthrow of the monarchy, Roman nobles, eager to maintain their position of power, established a republican form of government”(p.129). Later on, this power to the rich would prove chaos. The patricians who “were descendants of the original senators appointed during the period of the kings were great landowners, who constituted an aristocratic governing class”(p.129). The plebeians did not have this power of authority like the patricians did. The plebeians were “constituted the considerably larger group of non-patrician large landowners, less wealthy landholders, artisans, merchants, and small farmers”(p.129). These people could vote with the patricians but could not be elected into office, they could not marry someone out of the patricians and vice versa, it was forbidden for these groups to intertwine.

As a result of their poverty, most plebeians had dwellings outside the city, whereas most patricians could afford to reside inside. The patricians controlled the military, and their main priority was to protect the city they live in. Therefore, they pulled all the soldiers back to protect it. This left many of the plebeian farms exposed to war, and after their return from battle, plebeian soldiers often found their homes completely destroyed.