Plebeians Vs. Patricians Research Paper

This meant that they changed the laws in their favor whenever it was convenient. This was one of the largest aspects the plebeians has issues with as they were unsure what las were, but even if they had, the laws could be changed to suit patrician needs.

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

In Ancient Rome, The way society worked was much similar to America. The Roman social class is and has been very significant in the operational American social class. None of the Roman class’ was oppressed or enslaved rather they were split into two. Once the Romans defeated the Etruscans they went on to build an empire that would change the world. Their influence in today’s society is still very present. We still borrow ideas from them. They formed a government where they would elect people to represent for them, called a republic. This is still the foundation for government in most of today’s world. They formed a system of law that was completely ahead of it’s time so much so that it has become the base for many countries legal system today; one of these being The United States. The political system they built, coincidental caused a division between the Romans. Plebeians were the common people of Rome; the Patricians who were the ones of higher class could serve in the consul. This was the highest position in the senate. The Assembly was made up of Plebeians. They had gained a significant amount of importance when they were the ones given the power to elect Consuls. The Assembly head position was a tribune; he was the leader of the Assembly and had a lot of power. Then they developed the Law of Twelve Tables, a

During the Conflict of Orders, the lower class Romans, or plebeians, forced the upper class Romans, known as patricians, to give them more rights and liberties (Hadas 1969).

Only the highly educated and wealthy class made up the Senate. The Concilium Plebis only consisted of representatives for the Plebeians, and the Comitia Centuriata represented most of the landowning class. Both the popular assemblies were given pre-discussed debates, and any disagreements with the Senate were rare. Furthermore, the Consuls, who were the most prestigious magistrates and “the military and political heads of state” were also advised by the Senate (Gwynn, 20).

Why were plebeians so important to Rome? In ancient Rome, the upper class of aristocrats, the patricians, were wealthy and powerful, but few, so to expand Rome's territory, as well as to protect it, they needed the large population of common people, plebeians, to furnish soldiers for the growing army. While Rome had always been threatened by neighboring states, military threats from its rivals increased as its borders grew, and as well, it had to maintain control over the territories it had already conquered. Roman colonies needed protection, as did Romain resources, especially valuable or strategic ones. Furthermore, the city of Rome itself needed defending.

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.

The Roman citizens, Plebeians, had the final say on quite a few events in the government. The consul led the army, but he could not declare war. It was the citizens who had the final decision to go to war or have peace. Both the senate and Roman citizens could propose laws. Although, it was the people who decided on passing or repealing laws.

This conflict was known as the struggle of the orders. During this conflict the plebeians wanted to increase their power, that was by taking advantage of the fact that Rome's survival depended on its army, in which it actually needed plebeians to fill the ranks of the infantry. In fact, it was stated that plebeians had actually walked out of Rome and refused to serve in the army back in 494 B.C.E. That strike worked, and the patricians grudgingly made important concessions, in which they allowed the plebeians to elect their own officials, the tribune, who could bring plebeian grievances to the senate for resolution, who presided over the concilium pleblis, and who could also veto the decisions of the consuls. Patricians were the only ones that knew the law, and the only ones that could argue the cases in court, in which they used the law for their own benefit. The plebeians were the ones that wanted the law codified and published, but many patricians opposed to the attempts by plebeians to gain legal

Prior to Octavius’ ascension to his power, the Roman society functioned as a republic, wherein assemblies and elected officials shared political prerogatives and balanced each other’s influence. The Senatus, composed of 300 Patricians of enormous wealth appointed by the Consuls, directed foreign and domestic affairs, managed public treasury, directed instructions to all magistrates save the Tribunus, and declared wars; however, the Tribunus Plebis, elected by the Plebeii, could veto any of its actions, and Censors could impeach its members. Its humbler counterpart, the Concilium Plebis, the popular assembly, enacted laws as the Republic’s ultimate legislative institution, yet, in reality, their legislation proved enforceable only with the cooperation of the Patrician magistrates. Meanwhile, the two Consuls functioned as the head of the entire government and the army, but each had only a single year term. Censors hold the power to eliminate senators, but they were elected by the Comitia

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

Unfortunately, what the patricians conceded to, they soon began to undermine. Since all government offices and the legal profession were made up of members of the patrician class, they were able to skew any claim of legality in their favor. Even when the plebeians demanded that all laws be written down and published for all to see, it was the patricians who decided what to include. Eventually, this unrest led to the second succession in 448 BCE. (Morey, The struggle for equal laws,

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.

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

They were not even allowed to vote or own lands, but the Patricians on the other hand, had all the privilege to vote, own lands, not pay taxes and occupied important offices and make decisions that matters for the state, and only the Patricians could become emperor. The inequality between the two classes was so high that if the plebeians failed to pay up debt, they could be sold into slavery.