Growing Pains: Development Stages of the Roman Republic

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The development of a nation is similar to the development of a child; they both go through various stages of development before they have a firm grasp of what they are supposed to do. Much like a child, a nation goes through its infancy with a naïve point of view, usually enacting laws that suit the ruling class (wealthy) and when they eventually develop into adolescence they use their past experiences to adapt to the needs of the majority. The Roman Republic is a prime example of this analogy, throughout the 5th century towards the 1st century B.C.E; the Roman Republic was forced to change its constitution and laws in order to properly rule their newly acquired land and accommodate the Latin people who joined Rome as a result of its expansion. …show more content…

The addition of the people in Roman governance ensured that laws or legislation proposed by the consuls went through strict review process . Although, only the Patricians could vie for governmental positions and the plebeians were relegated to the fringes of society. The launch of the council of plebs allowed the plebeians to review and accept laws proposed by the consuls . Having a multi-faceted form of government ensured that there was cooperation amongst the divisions of government. For instance, when the Consuls were in Rome, they would propose issues for the senate to discuss and they would also summon the assemblies to vote on the proposed law . This cooperation among the different divisions of government allowed the Republic to make informed decisions about the advancement of the state. In addition to its cooperative style of governance, the Roman constitution also outlines the role of each division of government outlining their strengths and limitations . The establishment of the roles of each division of government ensured that no one could exceed their assigned power. The initial success of the Republic can be attributed to the counterbalancing system of the

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