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Roman government/history
Democracy in ancient rome
Greece and Rome concepts in government
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Yes, I agree with you when you say the Romans created a society that thrived off itself. The Romans did this by allowing citizens to participate in the government. The two main parties of government were the patricians (the rich which held most of the offices) and the plebeians (common people who held few offices). Roman assemblies were one form of office that was held. One specific assembly was the Centuriate assemblies. These assemblies were held by military men who were mostly patricians since they possessed the major centuries. Another office that was the Consul. There were two Consuls and they commanded the army in battle, administer state business, preside over the Senate and assemblies, and supervise financial affairs. The majority of
Consuls were patricians since it was believed that only patricians could run this office. However, there were a few plebian Consuls. The last office to be held was the Senate. To be in the Senate you had to hold the office of a high official. The Senate could elect a dictator in a time of crisis and could make laws but didn’t have the power to pass laws. It was made up of both patricians and plebeians. However, the biggest contribution the Romans made was their law. The law allowed people to be treated equally and gave us principles we still us today.
The roman republic constitution was a set of guidelines and principles passed down through precedent, the roman republic instead of creating a democracy such as that the Athenians created, a monarchy which was previously being used by previous roman rulers and an aristocracy which Sparta used, the Constitution combined elements of all three of these governments to create a combined government known as “Senatus populusque que romanus” (S.P.Q.R) this meant “the senate and the roman people”. The Roman magistrates were elected officials during the period of the Roman kingdom, the ‘king’ (although the Romans preferred not to be called a king and instead a rex) of Rome was the principal executive magistrate, his power was absolute similar to that of a tsar
The Roman Republic can be seen as a template for how the United States Government was formed, and still to this day consists of. The First influence that the Romans had on our government was their idea for a republic. They, our country as well, wanted their people to have a vote on who would represent them in government. The U.S. representative type of government was influenced by this. Today we vote for the people representing us in our Senate, House of Representatives, and our President. One of the main influences that the Ancient Romans had on the U.S. Government was the idea of the division of power. Today we have executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The Ancient Romans had a very similar set-up. In Rome when organizing a government, there were many different styles between monarchies, the Senate that was the aristocracy, and the voice of democracy in the people. These acted as their different branches of government. As the U.S Government has an executive branch which consists of our President and Vice President, the Romans had counsels which acted as executive leaders for a year, and controlled the military (“The Roman Republic”). The Ancient Romans also obtained a Senate, similar to our government. In Rome, it was 300 members of the wealthy and self-serving. Today, there are career senators, and elite men in society. This is the legislative branch of our government that has been derived from the Ancient Romans. Also within the legislative branch of the Romans, they had numerous assemblies like that of the U.S. Government’s House of Representatives, based on where each member lives. Our judicial branch was based off of the Roman’s Praeto...
Rome's Republican era began after the overthrow of the last Roman King Tarquin Superbus by Lucius Brutus in 509 BC(1), the Senate was ruled the by the people of Rome. The Roman Republic was governed by a largely complex constitution, which established many checks and balances, so no man could have complete control. The evolution of the constitution was heavily influenced by the struggle between the patricians and the other prominent Romans who were not from the nobility. Early in Rome’s history, the patricians controlled the republic, over time, the laws that allowed these individuals to dominate the government were repealed, and the result was the emergence of a the republic which depended on the structure of society, rather than the law, to maintain its dominance. This is similar to the creation of the American system of government. Starting with the over throw of t...
The Roman Republic was a political system which was stamped and swayed, but it was not by parties and programmes which we are so familiar with which is a modern and parliamentary variety. And it was not swayed even by the powerful opposition between Senate and People, Optimates and Populares, nobiles and novi homines. The main locomotive force of politics was the strife for power, wealth and glory. (ref: Syme, Ronald 1960 The Roman Revolution, Oxford University Press) [1]
The Ancient Roman citizens in 50 BC had more rights than the American citizens in 1790. The Roman society in 50 BC was a republic which was controlled by the senate, but the patricians also played a major role in the government. However, the American government in 1790 was set up as a democracy, with a new constitution. The Roman society gave all of its citizen’s legal rights, including women. Not only did Rome give the Romans legal rights, there was also better social mobility and wealth distribution. While, in America there were many needless requirements in order for its citizens to take part in government. Both countries had slaves, but they used them for much different purposes.
When one takes a closer look into the lives of the Romans, government and all, it would be safe to assume that the life of the Romans were much like the life that is seen in the United States today. The United States has several attributes in comparison to Rome but unlike many other areas around the world. The people of Rome were not oppressed, had a say in certain aspects of the government, had a mighty military and the economy seemed to flourish. All in all it would seem that the life of the Roman Republic was a rather appealing and pleasant one.
The Roman Republic had an upstanding infrastructure, a stable social system, and a balanced constitution that solidified Rome’s greatness. Regardless of its achievements, however, the Roman Republic owes much of its success to classical Greek cultures. These cultures, in conjunction with the fundamental values of Roman society, certified Rome as one of the most significant powers the world has ever seen.
If one were to make his way through the history of the world, he or she would learn about the many forms of government, and how they came to be. In the case of Rome, many historians would note it as having a period where it was a republic, and a period where it was an empire. When examined in detail, though, the Roman Republic fails to mirror a true republic. While it had republican qualities, it was ultimately set up to give the common people a false sense of security and power in the Roman government. The ancient city of Rome was never a true republic because its traits do not emulate the definition of a republic or the republics of other ancient societies, and because of its biased political system.
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
The Roman Empire was able to extend its boarders and create a civilization based on the cultural belief that they were the civilized people and all others were barbarians. Though many of the people in Rome were not well educated the elites in the Empire “would pass from forum to forum, s...
Roman vs. Greek Civilization Although both Roman and Greek civilizations shared similarities in the areas of art and literature, their differences were many and prominent. Their contrasting aspects rest mainly upon political systems and engineering progress, but there are also several small discrepancies that distinguish between these two societies. This essay will examine these differences and explain why, ultimately, Rome was the more advanced civilization of the two. Greece, originally ruled by an oligarchy ("rule of the few"), operated under the premise that those selected to rule were selected based not upon birth but instead upon wealth.
Classical education is arguably one of the most influential educations in American history. Not only does it allow the student to study great literature of Ancient Greek and Roman writers, but allows them to develop both written and spoken language while learning of great men and their achievements. Without the knowledge of the past, it is impossible to look forward toward the future. To be considered an educated person in today’s society, it is imperative that one possesses an understanding of ancient Greek and Roman civilization. The Founding Fathers of our nation believed this and used their knowledge acquired through classical education when developing the system of government we have in place today. This essay will look at the ancient Greek and Roman styles of government in an attempt to show how the Founding Fathers took the best parts of these governments and applied them to America and the Constitution.
The governments of ancient Greece and Rome had many similarities and differences, creating two unique cultures. There were several things that set them apart, and it changed the way each civilization grew and developed. For example, Greece’s social classes were divided into slaves, women and citizens, while Rome had slaves, plebeians and patricians. In ancient Rome, plebeians were the commoners in Rome, such as farmers, and patricians were aristocrats or noblemen. Furthermore, women were treated as citizens in Rome, but more like property in Greece (“Ancient Greece vs. Ancient Rome,” para. 5). In Athens, women were controlled by the men in their lives by having their father control them before marriage, and their husbands after. Another difference between the two countries was how their governments originally began. Greece was originally made up of several city-states, each being an independant nation. Rome, on the other hand, was originally a monarchy. Over time, it eventually became a Republic, in which power is held by the people and their elected representatives. The similarities between the government of Greece and Rome included their beliefs in several gods. Athens was known for worshiping the goddess Athena, their city-god. Rome worshiped several other gods as well, including Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Another similarity was their fierce militaries. Greece was known for having lots of internal warfare, but they succeeded in preventing any military invasions, especially from Persia. Rome is known for having as the most powerful and successful military in the Western region. Their size, strength, and organization helped them to achieve many accomplishments in the expansion of their empire.
The Roman Republic began approximately around 509 B.C. when the nobles drove the King and his family out of Rome. This monumental incident helped shape the start to the transformation of the monarchy into a republican governmental system. This is known to have begun by that of the Roman nobles trying to hold their power that they had gained. The Republic was “[a] city-state [which] was the foundation of Greek society in the Hellenic Age; in the Hellenistic Age, Greek cities became subordinate to kingdoms, larder political units ruled by autocratic monarchs” (Perry 105)
Octavian, or Caesar Augustus, was an effective ruler, implementing reforms that positively affected virtually all areas of life throughout the Empire. Social, economic, and political tensions that had led to so much violence in earlier years were calmed by Augustus's policies. Corruption and abuses of the people were also given attention by the Emperor. The borders of the Roman Empire grew dramatically under Augustus's rule, adding material wealth and manpower to Rome's already significant resources.