How Did The Roman Senate Change

The roman republic came into existence at the termination of the Roman kingship in 507 B.C.E. The last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled by Collatinus and Brutus, as a result of his arrogance involving the matter of one of his relations raping the wholesome Roman matron Lucretia and her subsequent suicide. The rape of Lucretia was really a representation of the frustration that the roman citizens felt regarding the kingship. The later kings had little regard for roman values and the roman populus, which they used as something of a slave labor force. Brutus and Collatinus became the first Roman Consuls, elected by popular vote.

From 509 BC to about 27 BC, Rome was considered a republic. During this time there was no single leader of Rome and the government was run by elected officials. The main leaders of the Roman Republic were the consuls. There were always two consuls in power at a time. Each year new consuls were elected to serve for a one-year term. This kept any one man from becoming too powerful in the government. At the time the Senate was the most powerful governing body in Rome. The Senate had control of the state’s finances and foreign policies. Senators were elected by the people to represent them in government. The Senate was made up of 300 of the most elite and wealthiest of the Roman Republic. One of the most important roles of the Senate to undergo the checks and balances of the Roman government. Checks and balances are the “principle of government under which separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power” (The Editors). The checks and balances of Rome helped to stabilize the government and allowed the power to be distributed somewhat equally between the consul, the Senate, and the people. However, the fall of the Roman Empire eliminated this type aspect of government in Rome (Kagan 101-103).

According to document F, members of the Roman Senate consisted of about 300 men that served the duration of a lifetime. The Senate had primary responsibilities for foreign relations, making treaties, and creating alliances. They were responsible for war policy, and controlled lands. By the 3rd century BCE they had full governing power in Rome. Not all senators held equal status however. Those selected by Censor did not have a right to vote or speak on the Senate floor. Senators earned the proper dignity and nobility to vote and speak on the floor by virtue of holding various offices such as Consul. In contrast to the Roman Empire, the Athenian empire dealt with economic affair. They passed laws and had the power to declare war. Rome’s Senate was more effective in terms of pleasing the citizens due to the foreign relation position opening a way of trade. Making alliances was very vital for keeping peace among the other

The Athenian assembly happened 40 times a year (doc E). The Athenian council of 500 people also attended (doc E). The Roman senate was originally a lower class then the consuls who once ruled over the lands of ancient Rome. The Roman senate had men rule their whole life. The Roman senate would decide on foreign relations, selecting ambassadors, making treaties, and creating alliances (doc F).

All members of the Senate were of the Patrician or wealthy landowner class. There was a second part of Roman government was the assembly. The assembly was elected by Romans from the Plebeian class (common people). Julius Caesar made himself a dictator, and became the absolute ruler of Rome and its territories.

Romulus, who reigned from 753-716 B.C., was the ruler who established the social hierarchy in Rome which would have ever-lasting effects on Roman society for centuries. Romulus created the Senate whose senators were chosen from the patrician class of Rome. The senate had 100 members, which our senate in the United States if reflective of today. This shows how the Etruscans effectively maintained control over Rome but also allowed for government to reflect the will of the people, to an extent. The senate of ancient Rome has is representative of the people, being able to elect magistrates, decide on matters of war and ratify laws.

The Roman Republic is a government that began in 509 BC and ended in 27 BC. First of all the Romans were trying to overthrow their Etruscan king (Tarquin the Proud). Etruscan kings had ruled for 100’s of years. After overthrowing the last king the Roman Republic formed. It’s a government in which citizens and representatives were to rule. The Republic was quite different from a democracy.

In 509 B.C Rome became a republic, from there the Romans were expanding more and more every year. Over a 500 hundred year time period the Romans grew from a big city to a vast empire of many countries with a tremendous army. Rome changed over time because of when Rome change their government to a Republic, to allow their people to elect officials of the government, the important results for the Romans were getting wealthy from trade, and expanding Rome into a immense empire. First, when they formed the Republic it made a organized way to elect citizens to rule Rome. The second reason, is the road system they built. The wanted lots of money from all of their empire and they got from thousands of miles connected roadways. When Rome drove out their Etruscan ruler and formed a Republic, the Romans wanted to spread their beliefs, farther than Italy.

Roman Republic, one of the most famous republic in ancient time, established a form of government comprising three main parts: a few magistrates, a Senate, and several assemblies. Roman Republic was the period of ancient Roman civilization starting with the collapse of the Roman Kingdom in 509 BC, and ended in 27 BC with the founding of the Roman Empire. The government had representatives selected by citizen and ended because of the civil war between powerful generals including Antony and Brutus.

The Roman government was democratic when it came to the citizens. The citizens could elect their own officials, and the officials were supposed to represent every level of Roman society. There were many types of officials. The two consuls were the chief officials of Rome. Once elected, they served for two years (Trueman, Chris). One of their most important powers was controlling the army (Government under Roman Republic). When they were unsure of a course of action, they were advised by the Senate, a council of around six hundred male citizens (Trueman, Chris). Those six hundred men were usually from wealthy patrician families and were the ones in charge of making the laws and controlling the spending. Contrary to the election of the other officials, the Senate was appointed by the current Consuls. Once they were appointed, they served for life. When one member died, another was chosen in their place (Government).

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.

However, this influence that the Senate had on the magistrates and popular assemblies was meant to protect the Republic from “popular whims” or the stupidity of the commoner (Gwynn, 24) . Although one could argue this made Rome an aristocracy, this in no way downgrades the justice of the government. The system of checks and balances ensured that the Senate could never be in complete control. More importantly, “the People, who by their votes, bestow honors on those who deserve them” (Tingay and Badcock, 45). The Populus had the right to reject or pass laws or choose war or peace.

One of the several ways that Julius Caesar hurt Rome was his choice of not listening to the Senate. The Senate had told Julius to come back to Rome after conquering Gaul without his legion, because they thought that he was getting too powerful. Julius did not listen and came back to Rome with his legion which lead to a civil war. The civil war ended up hurting Rome’s military because it ruined

The roles of the senate in the Roman republic and the modern senate aren't exactly the same, because of the role of the senate change over time. The Roman Republic was run by the Senate. The Roman senate literally made up of wealthy men from powerful families. In the early Rome, the senate

Finally, we come to the focus of this report, that is, the Roman Senate. The Senate represented the aristocratic and elitist element of Roman government and was a collection of patrician citizens (the patrician/plebian conflict will be described in more depth later) who served as the legislative branch of the government as well as an advisory body. In the beginning of the Republic, the Senate contained 300 members, the members themselves were chosen from the patrician class, ex-consuls, and other officers who served for life. By the time that Julius Caesar gained power, the Senate's membership had increased to nearly 800 people.