Patricians And The Plebs Research Paper

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

In the second century B.C., The Roman republican state was separated into two different social classes: the patricians and the plebeians. The patricians were the wealthier citizens who had all the political power in the Roman state while the plebeians were less wealthy citizens who barely had any standing in government. The plebeians, in particular, lacked many of the rights and protections enjoyed by the patricians under Roman law, and their lives were often harsh and unhappy. At the time, slaves were a common element in the Roman financial society; even smaller farmers tended to own at least two. The would-be social reformers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, sought to better the condition of the plebeians in Roman society and elevate

Therefore, the tradesman and merchants came from the plebeian class. This was a source of wealth to the plebeians. As they gained political power, this wealth gave them even greater clout with which to demand concessions from the patricians.

All law was administered by the ruling Patricians who tended to rule in favor of their own interests. The plebeians rebelled and seceded to a hill outside the city. There they created their own assembly, Concilium Plebis and demanded the Patricians recognize their newfound authority. The Patricians were trapped. The plebs composed all the soldiers of the Roman army and without them they were open and exposed to attack. Quickly, the Patricians gave in to the plebian demands leading to the Law of the Twelve Tables in 450BCE. Plebs now could elect Tribunes to represent their interests, and hold office in the Senate. “In 367 the plebeians gained the right to be elected consul, and in 366 the first was elected. Thereafter, the Licinian-Sextian laws demanded that at least one consul be a plebeian” to further cement the rights of commoners (UNRV). In 287BCE the plebs passed a law requiring any motion passed in the Concilium Plebis to be recognized by the Senate. This was a defining moment in Roman government: plebs could hold office, pass laws, and advance into higher society. Laws were passed barring senators from having an active role in commercial endeavors. This lead to the downfall of patrician dominance as many plebs became wealthier and enjoyed greater representation in the senate. Patrician senators now had to rely on wealthy family members to support their political careers or commit to poverty as

The plebeians were important to Rome because they were the working class and majority of the military Rome had. In 494 BCE the plebeians decided to walk out of Rome. The Patrician class knew it would be the fall of Rome without them. The plebeians were the working class of Rome; they were not all poor but not of the aristocratic patrician class. Without them there would be no defense of Rome. By making accessions to the plebeians the patricians saved Rome from almost certain death. Allowing the plebeians to have more of a role in the government and protections from unfair deals and laws proved that they were needed.

During the early days of the Roman empire, political and social strife was the bread and butter of Roman citizens, a daily struggle that on one hand the Roman aristocracy, or the Patricians, pretended wasn’t occurring. Whereas on the other hand the lower class, or the Plebeians, had no voice that could be heard on the matter, effectively rendering the social injustices overseen and untouched for a very long time. It was only after an intolerable tyrannic government under the rule of Tarquinius Superbus that the the entire populace decided enough was enough.

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

Patricians continued to dominate Rome, although the plebeians did receive some governmental rights. They had tribunes, which had the power to intervene in political matters and veto measures they considered were unfair. The plebeians gained the right to hold almost all state offices and became eligible to have one

The plebeians were farmers who lost their living in the war against the last monarch leaving them of need of reimbursement. The patricians lived in the cities, so they were not effected as their plebian counter parts. “In this way, while serving their country, they were deprived of their houses and fields, and of the means of subsistence, and so were reduced to a condition of poverty and great distress.” (1901, William C. Morey) The plebeians fought for the same freedoms, so discontent could only rise as it was becoming more and more obvious their rights did not expand while

Back in the days, the Roman population was dissected into two classes namely the Patricians and

The Patricians were the pinnacle of Roman elite just below the emperor and his relatives. Patrician refers to those members that were of the ruling class of Ancient Rome. They were the ones who derived from the old ruling elite and powerful families. We know that the

It is important to remember that the rich controlled about ninety percent of the wealth in Rome. This not only extended to money, but also power. The Patricians consisted of Rome’s rich and upper class population, wielding most of the power. The Plebeians were comprised of Rome’s poor and lower class populace. Compared to the Patricians, the Plebeians’ power

The differences between these two groups started when they were formed. The Patricians were amongst the first three tribes that founded Rome. They helped create Rome and after the removal of the Roman Kings held full control on the government. The lived in the large cities themselves, gaining several benefits.

Originally, only patricians were qualified in becoming magistrates, which was one of the causes of unhappiness for the plebeians. They threatened to leave the city if no action was taken to benefit them. This would bring the consequence that of a halt in the workforce, since the plebeians were Rome's labor workers. This is what lead to the making of the Twelve Tables of Roman Law.

Before the Twelve Tables, there were major problems and struggles. Both of the groups, patricians and plebeians, were able to vote, but only the patricians were granted the right to be elected to government positions. They were both able to make legal agreements and have marriages, but it was forbidden for a patrician and a plebeian to intermarry.There was conflict amongst Rome because everyone wanted the right to be equal, and they were not being treated