Download The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic
Global History and Geography I
Name: ___________________
Date: ___________________
One of the greatest civilizations to emerge in Europe was that of Rome.
The Roman Empire became a dominant force in the Western world for over
400 years.
Italy is a long, narrow, boot-shaped peninsula extending into the
Mediterranean Sea. Rome was a city-state located on a fertile plain in the
middle of Italy near the west coast. To the north, the Alps Mountains
protected Rome and the rest of Italy from most invaders. The sea provided
further protection against invaders, while serving as a route for Roman trade
and expansion.
Geographic Feature of Italy:
Effect of Geographic Feature:
The early Roman city-state contained two main social classes: patricians or
wealthy landowning families and plebeians or small farmers, craftsmen, and
merchants. In early times, the Romans overthrew their king and made Rome
into a republic. In a republic, citizens vote to elect representatives, or people
who will speak and govern for them. The Roman Republic lasted from 509
B.C. to 27 B.C. – almost 500 years. The Romans replaced the Etruscan king
with two consuls. The consuls managed the government for a one-year
term. Each consul could veto, or say to no, a decision by the other consul.
Serving only one year and being vetoed kept the consuls from becoming too
powerful. The Roman senate, made up of 300 patricians, helped the
consuls’ rule. It had the power to pass laws. In times of war, it could
choose a dictator for six months. The Roman Republic was not a democracy
because it allowed only patricians to vote. The wealthy patrician class
made up only 10 percent of the population of Rome. Yet, patricians ran the
government. Most Romans were plebeians or “the common people.” As
citizens, the plebeians paid taxes and served in the army. But they had little
power. They could not marry out of their class. Also, the patricians could
sell plebeians into slavery if they did not pay their debts. However, the
plebeians had one important power. They were citizen-soldiers. The
patricians needed them to defend Rome against its enemies. In 494 B.C., the
Roman Republic gave the plebeians the right to elect two tribunes or
representatives of the plebeian class. The tribunes could veto any law that
they did not like. Finally, the Roman senate eventually wrote down the laws
of Rome. The Twelve Tables were Rome’s written laws. These laws
included such important legal concepts as equality under the law and
innocence until proven guilty.
What is a republic?
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The Dates of the Roman Republic: ______________________________
Define the following terms:
Consul: ____________________________________________________
Veto: ____________________________________________________
Senate: ____________________________________________________
Why was the Roman republic not a democracy?
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How was the Roman republic similar to and different from Athenian
democracy?
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Socioeconomic Class of Roman
Description of Class:
Republic:
How did the plebeians gain political rights?
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What political rights did they gain?
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What was the “Law of the Twelve Tables”?
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Why were the Twelve Tables important?
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Compare and contrast the Twelve Tables and the Code of
Hammurabi:
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As the Romans began to conquer land and build an empire, the republic
began to weaken. Powerful generals began to gain power. Why do you
think powerful generals would lead to the collapse of the republic?
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Word Bank: Plebeians, Senate, Patrician, Republic, Twelve Tables, Veto,
Tribune