Patricians And Plebeians Essay

The economic and political differences between plebeians and patricians were numerous. These two classes of people made up the majority of the early Roman republic. The patricians were the descendants of the of original senators from the time of Romulus, (Staff,

2009). The plebeians were the class of common people. Both classes united their efforts and drove out the kings of Rome. The majority of the fruits of victory went to the patrician class.

This began a long time of fighting for equality between the two classes that took years to fully address. Rome was now an aristocratic republic where power was held by a select few, the patricians. The plebeians could still vote in the comitia centuriata, but they could not hold any new office or sit in the senate. The

Plebeian property was mostly located in the country. When plebeian men left for war, their farms and homes were neglected, ransacked, and their family was often driven away. The wealthy patricians typically lived in the city and their main property and families were protected by the city walls. The fact was that both classes were fighting for the same cause, to drive out the enemy and protect their homeland. The differences in wealth and power led to even greater division between classes after war.

When plebeians returned from war, they found themselves in poverty and great distress. The plebeians quickly became indebted to the patricians which made them slaves to3 their creditors. The unequal distribution of land acquired in the victory of war kept the plebeians in a state of poverty. The patricians, who biasedly ran the government, abused their power in the acquisition of the spoils of war. These spoils were supposed to be public property, equally distributed between both classes.

The inequality between the plebeians and patricians led to a revolt. The plebeians were tired of the hard law of debt. The plebeians revolted and left the patricians to fight their