Download Rise of the Roman Republic - Mr. Bowling`s Social Studies Class

Rise of the Roman Republic
Mr. Bowling
Classes of Rome
Patricians
Plebeians
 Upper-class citizens
 Lower-class citizens
 Wealthy landowners
 Peasants, laborers,
 Chose the men who advised
craftspeople, and
shopkeepers
the Etruscan king.
 95% of Rome’s population
 Controlled the most valuable
land
 Held the important military
and religious offices.
 Little say in the g’ment
 Forced to be in the military
Creating a Republic
 509 B.C.E.
Patricians rebelled against the
Etruscans
 They established a republic
Elected officials who work for the
interests of the people
 People=Patricians, but not the Plebeians
Patricians Choose the Leaders
 300 men elected by the patricians
 Called the Senate
 Served for life
 Had most of the power
 Appointed other g’ment officials and served as judges.
 2 consuls shared command of the army.
 The Senate was supposed to advise the consuls.
 Decisions made by the Senate were treated as law.
Plebeians Rebel
 Patricians would often change rules and laws to benefit
themselves
 This was easy because they weren’t written down.
 Only they could become consuls and senators.
 Plebeians had to fight to get what they wanted
 Conflict of the Orders
 Conflict b/w the patricians and plebeians
 Very heated during times of war
 Plebs were forced to fight in the army even though it was the
patricians decision to go to war.
st
Plebeians and the 1
Protest
 491 B.C.E.
 Population of Rome was b/w 25,000-40,000.
 Most were plebeians
 Plebeians walked out of the city due to a lack of power
 Camped out on a hill outside of the city.
 Refused to come back into the city until the patricians met their
demands
 Patricians panicked
 The city depended on the plebeians (Farming and work stopped)
 They feared attack from outsiders
Equality is Coming
 The plebeian revolt led to major changes in Rome
 Plebeians could now elect officials Tribunes of Plebs
 The tribunes spoke to the Senate and consuls on behalf of the
plebs.
 Started out as 2 but grew to 10.
 Eventually, the power to veto came into play.
 Overruled actions of the Senate and g’ment that were unfair
 The plebeians used protests for over 200 years to finally gain
equality.
Equality Arrives
 451 B.C.E Laws had to be written down
 First laws were written on tablets Twelve Tables
 367 B.C.E. 1 of the consuls had to be a plebeian
 This allowed for plebeians to become Senators
 Former consuls would become Senators
 287 B.C.E. Plebeians gained the right to pass laws for all
Roman citizens
Influences Seen Today
 Rome was ruled by a written constitution (set of
basic laws)
 Elected assemblies, citizenship, and civic duty
 Checks and balances of power.
 Having the good of the people as the highest
priority.