Power In Ancient Rome

From 509 BC to about 27 BC, Rome was considered a republic. During this time there was no single leader of Rome and the government was run by elected officials. The main leaders of the Roman Republic were the consuls. There were always two consuls in power at a time. Each year new consuls were elected to serve for a one-year term. This kept any one man from becoming too powerful in the government. At the time the Senate was the most powerful governing body in Rome. The Senate had control of the state’s finances and foreign policies. Senators were elected by the people to represent them in government. The Senate was made up of 300 of the most elite and wealthiest of the Roman Republic. One of the most important roles of the Senate to undergo the checks and balances of the Roman government. Checks and balances are the “principle of government under which separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power” (The Editors). The checks and balances of Rome helped to stabilize the government and allowed the power to be distributed somewhat equally between the consul, the Senate, and the people. However, the fall of the Roman Empire eliminated this type aspect of government in Rome (Kagan 101-103).

Patricians hold all the offices in ancient Rome and plebeians who outnumbered them were mostly farmers, craftsmen and soldiers. Therefore one can understand that practically while plebeians had no rights or knowledge, they were in an advantageous position as patricians couldn’t defend the city or do any kind of job without their help. Plebeians couldn’t tolerate the increasing debt and the abuse of patricians and demanded equality, by blackmailing the patricians

The Roman government was democratic when it came to the citizens. The citizens could elect their own officials, and the officials were supposed to represent every level of Roman society. There were many types of officials. The two consuls were the chief officials of Rome. Once elected, they served for two years (Trueman, Chris). One of their most important powers was controlling the army (Government under Roman Republic). When they were unsure of a course of action, they were advised by the Senate, a council of around six hundred male citizens (Trueman, Chris). Those six hundred men were usually from wealthy patrician families and were the ones in charge of making the laws and controlling the spending. Contrary to the election of the other officials, the Senate was appointed by the current Consuls. Once they were appointed, they served for life. When one member died, another was chosen in their place (Government).

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.

The principle of the Roman government was to function for the people, hence classifying them as a republic (Res Publica or the Thing or Matter of the People). Before the commencement of the Republic, Rome was ruled by a line of Etruscan kings called Tarquins. The

Initially, the Roman republic had two different kinds of people; the Plebeians and the Patricians. When the Republic had just started to grow, the Patricians, wealthy landowners, were in charge of the senate. Unfortunately, they also ruled the Plebeians, the majority of Rome’s population. Plebeians

However, the real authority of the republic lay in the hands of the patricians this power could not and would not remain. The plebeians, who made up most of the army and did most of the real work, rebelled, going on strike and demanding an equal voice in the government. Out of this struggle came the Conflict of Order, a class “war” that lasted from 494 to 287 BCE. It was a fight that brought about meaningful change: a plebeian assembly, the Concilium Plebis. Through this new congress, the plebeians could elect tribunes who, like consuls, served for one year. Their primary function was to safeguard plebeian rights against patrician abuse. Their duties were in many ways like that of the consuls; however, they could veto any magistrate decision

They claimed that their ancestry gave them authority to make laws for Rome. The plebeians were citizens of Rome with the right to vote. However, they were barred by law from holding the most important government positions. In time, Rome’s leaders allowed the plebeians to form their own assembly and elect representatives called tribunes. Tribunes protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials. (page 156)

The plebeians were important to Rome because they were the working class and majority of the military Rome had. In 494 BCE the plebeians decided to walk out of Rome. The Patrician class knew it would be the fall of Rome without them. The plebeians were the working class of Rome; they were not all poor but not of the aristocratic patrician class. Without them there would be no defense of Rome. By making accessions to the plebeians the patricians saved Rome from almost certain death. Allowing the plebeians to have more of a role in the government and protections from unfair deals and laws proved that they were needed.

Republican Rome began when the Romans overthrew the Etruscan rule in 509 BCE and ended in 27BCE. During this period in Rome, the people developed a system of government that allowed them to make decisions, execute plans, and excel in many ways. The class structure of Rome consisted of patricians which were the upper class of Rome, the plebeians who were the common people of Rome, and after the patricians and plebeians came the slaves, immigrants and traveling merchants. The patricians made up what is known as the Senate and held the majority of the political power of Rome. Two patricians were elected to consul or chief magistrate every year. Consuls had the power to veto each

It is important to remember that the rich controlled about ninety percent of the wealth in Rome. This not only extended to money, but also power. The Patricians consisted of Rome’s rich and upper class population, wielding most of the power. The Plebeians were comprised of Rome’s poor and lower class populace. Compared to the Patricians, the Plebeians’ power

The ancient Rome started developing in civilization as early as 8th century BC on the Italian Peninsula. The Roman republic consisted of two main classes of people or citizen by birth, who directly and indirectly participated in the development of the city. The first class of citizens were the Patricians and the Plebeians were the second class of people. Unlike slaves, as they have equal rights, but they did not share equal rights and treated entirely different to one another both in economically and politically. (Kent, 2013)

Roman society under the empire was organized to hierarchy of social classes.These classes were not based on solely on birth wealth and political standing were also important considerations-there was some social mobility.At the top was the emperor and his family also the imperial court.The next class was senatorial elite,whose status was political based and depended on the favor of the emperor.Status of the equestrian class,a class that has emerged during the late Republic,were businessmen who had profited from trade;this class came to dominate the imperial bureaucracy.On the low end of the hierarchy was the plebeian,ordinary citizens of Rome.Individually,the plebeian has no power but if there was a group plebeian they could influence.The

When the struggle was over, power fell into the hands of the patricians marking the beginning of another struggle- this time between the ruling class (patricians) and plebeians. The plebeians were relegated to lesser class politically, Morey, (n.d.). They could participate in the “democratic process” by voting in the comitia centuriata. However, they were not allowed to hold any of the new offices neither could they sit in the senate, Morey, (n.d.). When they drove the kings out, Rome became a republic but one which was more of aristocratic than democratic, Morey, (n.d.). This means that the political power among others was concentrated in the hands of a particular class (few) instead of the whole people, Morey, (n.d.). This brewed discontent, political discomfort, and discord among the plebeians. The plebeians would have easily (perhaps) submitted to the patrician government if only the patricians would have exercised caution

Ancient Rome consisted of two distinct bodies, the Patricians who ruled the state and the Plebeians who were ruled by the Patricians and were subject to the State. They differed greatly in regard to economic and political empowerment but nonetheless even though the Plebeians had less say they were equally important in making Rome a global power.