Patricians Vs Plebeians

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.

The Roman Republic was established in 509 B.C. BC after overthrowing the Etruscan kings. As democracy was getting started in Athens, the Roman aristocrats (the rich) wanted to get rid of Etruscan kings so they can get more power. They needed the poor men to fight for them. So they promised the poor men that they would be given power in the new government, if they can help get rid of the Etruscan kings. The poor men decided to help, and together the king was threw out in 510 B.C. But once the kings were out, the rich did not give the poor men what they had promised. So the poor men protested and went on strike. The Roman aristocrats had to make a concession, and they let the poor vote. People in Roman Republic voted for representatives who express their opinion like the way United States does. But the only people who could be elected to the Roman Senate were the rich people. Then the poor made the aristocrats agree that the poor men could also elect tribunes, who can say no to any

The Republican government in Rome was established to satisfy the plebeians, while still leaving a majority of the control

The consuls were the supreme power of authority with one year terms and could not be elected more than two times in a row and three times total. However, in situations of crisis, the Romans were led by a dictator who had complete power in a six month term. The Republic also had a senate, picked by the two consuls. The senators held their position for life and were responsible for taxes, funding laws, and foreign affairs. Next in line were the assembly, an elected body drawn from the citizens of Rome with two year terms and no term limits. The assembly occasionally made laws that had to be approved by the senate. The common people of Rome were called the Plebeians. The Plebeians served in the army, payed taxes, and had other citizen duties, but were not allowed to hold any important positions in office, unlike the Patricians who had all the rights. The Tribunes represented the voice of the Plebeians and were elected by the Plebeians. There were two Tribunes at a time with one year terms and had the power to veto any law. The Tribunes were “sacred” and left their doors open to the public to speak to them about any problems they might have

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).

The palebians made up the majority of the population. But they were not allowed to have any say in political issues. The palebians were the poor, lower class citizens who couldn't become priests or be a part of the senate. They were the peasants, craftsmen, farmers, and shopkeepers. On the other hand, the patricians were the ones who were wealthy (the upper class) and the only ones that could have power in religious offices, in the senate, and could control over the military. Unllike the Palebians, the patricians were the smaller part of the population that had all the power. But just because the Patricians had all the control over Rome, this did not mean that the Palebians weren't important or "necessary"

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

Made up of landowning men from the patrician class (plebians were later allowed to serve in the Senate) who gave "advice" in the form of suggested laws and politics to the Consuls and other members of the government. They had a lot of power and most of their "advice" was put into practice. One could become a senator if they were appointed after serving as a

According to tradition, in 494 B.C.E the plebeians literally walked out of Rome and refused to serve in the army (p. 131). Their general strike worked, and the patricians grudgingly made important concessions (p. 131). With this strike, they allowed to plebeians to elect their own officials, the tribunes, who presided over the concilium plebis, could bring plebeian grievances to the Senate for resolution, and could also veto the decisions of the consuls (p. 131). Since the patricians were the only ones that knew what the law was, and only they could argue cases in court, the plebeians' made the law their primary target (p.

Keep in mind, you should know that the government changed a lot in its time. The patricians pretty much had all the power early on in the Republic. The highest position in the Republic was held by the consuls, who were the "rulers" of the Roman Republic. A senate made up of patricians and the assemblies elected these people to become consuls. Plebeians pretty much had no say in the government at the time.

Without the sharing of power between the Senate and People of Rome, the development of a republican form of government in the city would have been impossible. This is proved by Livy’s acknowledgement that the system of electing magistrates used in his time mirrors this first Roman election for king (Livy I.17.28-30). In this monarchical system of government as well as the Republic, both the Senate and the People must share power to ensure stability; a government dominated by one group, whether it be the king, the Senate, or the People, would be ruinous. The affirmation of this reality in the election of Numa served as a foundation for the system of political society that characterized the ideals of

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.

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