Similarities Between Rome And The Roman Republic

The City-state of Rome became a republic in 509 BC. Rome fought numerous battles to become what it was at its height. It all started with the Punic wars. After they won, there was no stopping them. By the first century BC, Rome controlled most of the known world. (Mahoney, 2001)

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.

Have you ever thought that the U.S. government is easily comparable to the Roman's version of government? Maybe that's because the U.S. government is roughly parallel with the Ancient Roman Government. The Romans did not have a constitution, like us Americans, but their division of executive, legislative, and judicial branches is similar. The Roman government served as a template for the American government. As you read further, you will see how the governmental structures, with detail, are similar by first making points on the American style contrasted with the Roman style of government.

While both the Roman Republic and Roman Empire have similarities, they also have some major differences. One of

Citizens in Rome that are assigned these jobs not only attain a high position but also have a lot more power and authority. For example, according to Source A, Consuls, who are also considered magistrates, had “the absolute authority in running the military… and can spend as much public money as they choose”. They were ultimately “...the supreme masters of the government.” (Source A). This part of the government would lead historians to believe that the constitution was despotism, not a democracy. Another reason showing that the Roman Republic was not a democracy was the how the Senate had functioned. The Senate presents laws and deals with issues outside of the civilization. Scholars may consider this to be an

Not only did the Italian city-republics differentiate themselves from their Roman predecessors in terms of how they came about, but their governments ran differently. While there were certainly elements of similarities between the two eras, there were considerable differences. To start, it is important to lay out the basic foundations of the Roman republic. The Roman republic was incredibly intricate and convoluted to the point that it would take forever to parse out the exact inner workings of each system of government. As such, just the bare bones of the Roman government are necessary to learn from. In essence, the Roman republic can be described in modern terms as a system of checks and balances. The government was predicated on the single principle that too much power should not reside in the hands of one man. No one organ of government could act completely alone. “To execute any act of government, a number of magistrates or other organs must concur” (Finer 396). Each body was divided and had specific powers delegated to it, which will be described more in detail later. The powers were not as simple as legislative, executive, and judicial as most modern people experience government today. Instead, each of the various powers of the three modern branches were even further divided into different governmental organs. The fascinating thing about the Roman republic, however, is in how it slowly morphed into what it eventually became. Instead of the American top-down approach

The Roman Republic and the Roman Empire highly differ in their political structures. The republic: created in 509 BCE. was a form of representative democracy. It consisted of 2 consuls of which were appointed by the senate and then voted on. These consuls were the head officers and the were appointed for one year. The senate was one of two legislative bodies comprised of 300 senators and 10 tribunes who were all patricians. The other body was knows as the tribal assembly and was made up of plebeians who met in a forum to vote on things such as consuls.

By the late sixth century Rome had a republic government, but through a series of civil wars, the roman republic turned into the Roman Empire under a military control. Republics have been able to create empires, they have all, fallen prey to the ambitions of the strongest and most influencial among them. This is what became of the Greek city-states, and it is what finally became of roman when the empire had grown too big.

Another official was the praetor (plural praetors or praetores). These officers were responsible for judicial cases of equity, and they were also responsible for the production and upkeep of the public games. When the consuls were absent, praetors were to exercise authority in the government. Before 337 B.C., the position was limited to the patricians of Rome, but after then, it was open to plebeians. Originally, there was a single praetor in charge of matters of equity. Then a second

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.

As Rome became independent from the Etruscan ruling, its government walked away from having a monarch and transformed into a Republic as a way to avoid the tyranny that many times comes with an absolute autocrat. Rigorous precautions were taken from the start in order to keep the power balanced. Moreover, the structure of the government was meant to be resilient to bad judgment. The structure of the Roman Republic with its government and law provided for a more just system.

1. Albert M. Craig, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. “Republic and Imperial Rome”. The Heritage of World Civilizations. 1: 124-156. (2007, 2005, 2002) Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey.

The Roman Republic, as any society, embodied the greatness of what it means to be a republic, but like many empires suffered from imperfection. The city experienced some of the greatest architecture, art, entertainment, trade, law, language, culture, and governments, however it suffered from many wars, poverty, and cruelty. It was a city of extremes. Even through hardships the Ancient city of Rome achieved sophistication and opportunities, but was built on the enslavement of the neighboring tribes.

Ancient Rome consisted of two main forms of government, the Republic and the Empire, each of which lasted about five centuries. At first, Rome was a republic, governed by members of wealthy classes. As the Republican form of government continued, a series of civil wars led to the breakdown of the system, and a new form of government, the Empire, was established in its place. The Empire began with a prolonged period of peace, the Pax Romana. However, like the Republic, the Empire also turned foul and collapsed after the Pax Romana. Still, a citizen of the Empire was better off than a citizen of the Republic. Health problems were less severe in the Empire than in the Republic. Moreover, the Empire was more peaceful and better able to provide necessities for average citizens than the Republic was. The political situation was also better in the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire generally provided a healthier and higher quality of civic life than the Roman Republic.

Rome started from a group of villagers living along the Tiber River in Italy. For more than 200 years Rome was under the rule of Kings. Then Rome became a Republic when people began holding elections to choose their representatives in the Senate. The Senate is the most powerful body of government in Rome.