preview

Rome During The Revolution Of Rome Essay

Decent Essays

When many people think of Rome, they think of an oligarchy but still consider Rome somehow democratic. Rome, however was a mix of many different systems, all culminating with the aristocratic versus the Plebeians. Rome was built on a monarchy before becoming a ’democracy,’ and then ending with an imperial rule. As Rome struggled with recognizing the different social classes within its social system and society, the system of government that it was based on slowly morphed into something that was not democratic at all. This government system even showed itself in the generalities of daily life in Rome, like the family and the household.
Rome was founded, according to legend, in 753 BCE. It began as a monarchy, starting with the king, Romulus, a descendant of the earliest Roman, Aeneas. This system can, of course, be seen as a type of aristocracy, since the common people would never have been chosen as a successor for rule. After the revolution of Rome in 509 BCE, Rome became ‘democratic;’ that is that they now had more than just a king and now had voting assemblies made of the male citizens of Rome. These citizens now had legislative duties, could be more than just the people, and could now be a legitimate power in Roman society. However, when Augustus came into power, this ‘democratic’ system was effectively abolished, and Rome became an imperial system in everything but in name . This imperial system lasted until Rome fell in 476 CE .
Rome’s democracy, as mentioned, was

Get Access