When the people of Rome freed themselves from the shackles of their tyrannical monarchy in approximately 509BCE, in its place a republic took hold, supposedly one which would give a better life for the citizens of Rome. The actuality of the early days of the republic, however, was an increase in patrician power, but no equal increase in the plebeian power. This difference in fortunes led to a period of instability in early Rome known as the ‘conflict of the orders’, characterised by a mistrust between the two social classes within Rome, and resulting in a slow-moving concession of power towards the plebeian class. In this short essay I want to look closely at the first of three secessions that the plebeians threated in order to achieve their aims towards a fairer society. To do this the essay will be split into three sections; the first highlighting the position of the orders within Roman society immediately following the end of the Roman monarchy, the second examining the concession that had been made through that secession and the third briefly looking at what more needed to be done.
The Birth of the Republic
Following the expulsion of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, in around 509 BCE (Mark, 2009), the make-up of Rome was comprised of a plebeian class, or common people, and the generally wealthier and powerful patrician class. The monarchy had fallen thanks to the combined efforts of both classes and yet the first incarnation of the republic only increased the power of the patricians at the expense of the plebs. There had been no representation of their interests introduced by the new political offices but also, and more importantly for the first secession that would come as a result, there had been no efforts t...
... middle of paper ...
...een an important part of Roman history, granting rights to a class of people that would come to be an incredibly influential part of that society. The use of their numbers to gain concessions was also very interesting, recognising their power to withold an army and therefore an effective defense for those who held the traditional reins of power.
Reference:
• Gill, N.S. (2015) “Secession of the Plebs” about education. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeancientrome/a/12tablets_2.htm
• Mark, J.J. (2009) “Ancient Rome”, Ancient History Encyclopaedia. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/Rome/
• McManus, B.F. (n.d.) “Conflict of Orders: Fifth to Fourth Centuries BCE”. Retrieved from http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/orders.html
• Morey, W.C. (1901) “Outlines of Roman History”, forumromanum.org. Retrieved from http://www.forumromanum.org/history/index.html
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...
By the sixth century, Rome evolved into a republic, landowners, aristocrats and patricians overthrew the Etruscan king and religion governed the people, dictated the laws and legitimized the rule of the patricians. As they evolved the Romans loosened the grip between religion and politics and gradually implemented a constitutional system similar to the Greeks with interests on rational and secular politics and law. The sudden growth of the constitution arrived from a conflict known as the “Struggle of the Orders” between the patricians and the plebeians (commoners). The patricians owned most of the land and controlled the army.
The Political Decay of the Roman Republic The fall of the Western Roman Empire was the first example in history on the collapse of a constitutional system which was caused by the internal decay in political, military, economics, and sociological issues. The government was becoming corrupt with bribery. Commanders of the Roman army turned their own army inward towards their own Constitutional systems, fueled by their own ruthless ambition. This paper will talk about how the violence and internal turmoil in 133 B.C.-27 B.C. was what provoked the economic stagnation in the city of Rome and to the end of the Republic and the many corrupt politicians and generals who only thought of nothing more than personal gains and glory. The senate lost control of the Roman military and the reason they rose against the senate was because the senate were no longer able to help manage the social problems or the military and administrative problems of the empire.
The Roman Republic (Res Pvblica Romana) was a form of republican government that was established in 509 BCE to replace the monarchy government that had reigned over Rome since the founding in 753BCE (Steele, 2012). The Failure of the Roman Republic was inevitable as it was an unjust system of government and it was left vulnerable after the attempted changes instigated by the Gracchi, as the Gracchi exposed the weaknesses in the political structure allowing future politicians to manipulate the system. The sources used throughout the essay, which include Plutarch, Appian, Florus and Velleius, will need to be examined closely as each source will demonstrate different views on the Gracchi, as the authors purpose of writing will differ. The Gracchi had set out to change Rome for the better, however in the process; they exposed the internal flaws of the government which resulted in the beginning of the decline of the Roman Republic.
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
4)Rosenstein, Nathan Stewart., and Robert Morstein-Marx. A Companion to the Roman Republic. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print.
The Roman Senate and constitution was built upon the notion of ancestry. One was to do things just as the past Romans did. There was little respect for free thinkers who wished to start their own path in Roman history. Romans were filled with so much pride for their past and founding that they simply never wanted to deviate. This principle was known as mos maiorum, the unwritten code from which the ancient Romans derived their social norms (slides). However, there were people that wanted change, some Romans believed in reform and spreading the power amongst all levels, not just the senate. These people were soon labeled the populares. The populares were aristocratic leaders in the late Roman Republic who relied on places other than the head of the senate, such as the tribunes to acquire political power. The populares addressed the problems of the plebs, particularly subsidizing a grain, and in general favored limiting slavery, since slavery took jobs from poor free citizens. They also gained political support by attempts to expa...
In 509 BC, the Tarquin line of kings was drawn from power and Rome began its stand as a Republic. The changes in the government and society of Rome were immense and were for the improvement of the city and its people. This aspiring new Republic did not flourish overnight into the perfect society; with the birth of the Republic came many new problems. Yet, it would be hard to imagine our modern society which we deem as democratic and just, not resting on the pillars and foundations that the Roman Republic gave us of their ideas on government branches with a system of checks and balances as well as the code of law created by the Romans.
In 509 B.C. the Romans declared themselves a republic, free from rule of the Etruscan kings. (“The Rise of…”) From that point on, the Roman’s form of government would never include the title of “king”, in fear that a single person would gain absolute power. The republic included a dictator (in emergencies), the senate, two consuls, and several other positions. (Bishop) Although the goal of creating a republic was to have a government that represented the wishes of its people, the Roman senate consisted of men of wealth or power, leaving most of the plebeians, or common people, out of the picture. Many of the emperors’ policies strengthened the power of the government, and therefore weakened the power of the plebeians. By the end of Sulla’s rule in 78 B.C., grain prices had risen substantially and there was large gap between the rich and poor. (“The Rise of…”) When Julius Caesar took power, he initiated several reforms that were much needed at the time. Caesar spent large volumes of money on entertaining the citizens, while expanding citizenship to people of conquered lands and lessening the power of the senate. His policies threatened the method of income of senators and around 60 senators, in the name of saving the republic, murdered Julius Caesar at a senate hearing in 44 B.C. Civil war then erupted in Rome and lasted over a decade. At the end of the blood brawl, it was Octavian who emerged victorious; he would be the first Roman Emperor and would be known as Augustus. (Morey) Although the “Liberators” (Julius Caesar’s assassins), might not have realized it, the day that Julius Caesar died was the same day that the republic died; t...
... Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Hopkins, Keith. A. A. Death and Renewal: Sociological Studies in Roman History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983 Johnston, Harold Whetstone. The Private Life of the Romans.
The Fall of the Republic was more than a solitary man or occasion. It was a perfection of a few individual activities or accomplishments, combined with social conditions that weighed vigorously on Roman culture. Furthermore, gigantic and quick development from Rome 's establishment as a juvenile city 700 years prior until the mid first century BC, made fantastic openings in the political and administering capacity of the Senate. Times of security were blended in with those of close fall while effective commanders or inciters of the Roman horde maneuver for position. Starting with the Punic Wars and Roman success outside of Italy, trailed by huge importation of slaves, the substance of Roman life was changing much more quickly than the administering
Heichelheim, Fritz, Cedric A. Yeo, and Allen M. Ward. A History Of The Roman People. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1984.
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)
Years ago, the Romans created one of the biggest and best organized empires the world has ever seen. Throughout their lands, they built towns and roads, and spread their way of life. One of the reasons why their empire was so successful was that, unlike other ancient states, the empire welcomed outsiders. Foreigners could become Roman citizens. At first this was a given as a reward for the loyalty or f...
The rivalry between the patricians and plebeians in ancient Rome was mainly economical. The patricians were the higher class of society who controlled wealth. They were the minority. The majority were the commoners or plebeians. The plebeians played a key important role in ancient Roman society as they were the backbone of the roman territory and defending it was a task they were looked up to. The peace and security of Rome means the Plebeians must be willing to fight in the army. And for them to be able to fight, the class discrimination they faced which was mainly based on economic differentiation must not be translated into political differentiation. The plebeians did indeed face political discrimination as a result of their social class based on wealth. The political discrimination saw Rome through many upheavals and challenge by the plebeians to the status quo in a bid to impose change and better their political voice and economic situation. The unity of both classes of ancient Rome-namely the Patricians and Plebeians- in getting rid of monarchy did not translate to unity after the mission was successful. The Patricians were at advantage as they got better political and economic gains in ancient Rome.