Download The Gracchi Brothers

Catsos- World History H1
“The Gracchi Brothers”
The period of the Roman Republic, from 509 to 27 BCE, witnessed Rome's growth from citystate to superpower of the ancient Mediterranean world. By the middle of the second century
BCE, Rome had established colonies in Africa and Greece as well as throughout the Italian
Peninsula. However, growth also produced social tensions and conflict, as the privileged classes
and the poor struggled to come to terms with changes brought about by Rome's increasing
power, wealth, and prestige
The conflicts associated with this period of the Roman Republic are closely tied to the lives and
political careers of two Roman brothers: Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, who lived ca. 163–
133 BCE, and Gaius Sempronius Gracchus, who lived ca. 153–121 BCE. They attempted to
institute reforms aimed at closing the gap between rich and poor, between the powerful and
the disenfranchised. Their efforts met with some success but at great cost. Both brothers were
killed during violent clashes, and the social strife they hoped to remedy ultimately led Rome
toward civil war.
Born to Rule
Tiberius and Gaius, known together as the Gracchi, came from an exclusively patrician
background. Their father, also named Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, was elected consul (the
highest public office in the Roman Republic) in 177 and served successfully as praetor
of Spain, Rome's most rebellious province at the time. Their mother, Cornelia, was the daughter
of famed general Scipio Africanus the Elder. Both brothers married into powerful families and
had distinguished military careers. They were in prime position to join the aristocracy of Rome,
but both broke from tradition by appealing instead to the common people to support their
political goals.
The Growing Gap between Rich and Poor
Much of the early republic's military success depended on citizen-soldiers, primarily peasant
farmers who fought for Rome when needed and then returned home to work their land. By the
end of the Punic Wars, however, thousands of conquered people were brought back to Rome
to work as slaves on large estates, or latifundia, owned by wealthy aristocratic families.
Soldiers, who had been required to leave their lands for long periods to fight in the wars,
returned home to discover that they could not compete with the larger holdings worked by
slave labor. Also, much of the farmland had been devastated in the fighting.
That situation, combined with the fact that imported grain from Rome's colonies lowered the
price farmers could get for domestically grown grain, forced many small landowners to sell
their property to those who owned the large estates. Former peasant farmers moved to cities—
Rome in particular—where they eventually became a large class of unemployed, urban poor.
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Catsos- World History H1
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus Struggles to Implement Land Reform
Sympathizing with the peasant farmers who had lost their land, and recognizing the need to
narrow the widening gap between rich and poor, Tiberius, a former military officer from an
aristocratic family, began calling for land reform. His plan was to redistribute public land, which
had been taken over by Roman aristocrats, and divide it evenly among landless laborers, who
would then also serve in the Roman Army.
In 133 BCE, Tiberius was appointed tribune, and he set about drafting his land reform bill. He
enjoyed enormous popular support but met with powerful resistance from many senators and
members of the wealthy elite. Roman aristocrats considered land ownership the most socially
acceptable and prestigious form of wealth, and they resisted any attempts to interfere with
their acquisition of additional lands. After some unprecedented political maneuvering on the
part of Tiberius, however, the land reform bill (the agrarian law) was passed. Unfortunately for
Tiberius, he had made numerous enemies in the process.
When Tiberius decided to break with convention and stand for reelection, his enemies became
further enraged. After one particularly fractious meeting, several senators left the Roman
Senate in anger. Shortly thereafter, a riot broke out in the Roman Forum, and Tiberius was
clubbed to death, apparently by a mob organized by his enemies in the Senate.
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus Pushes for Further Reforms
Despite Tiberius' murder, efforts at reform were not abandoned. A decade later, Tiberius'
brother Gaius was elected tribune. It is presumed that one of his first actions was to make it
legal for tribunes to be elected to consecutive terms, as he was elected two years in a row
without any legal opposition. Gaius was by all accounts even more charismatic than his brother.
He enacted many reforms that benefited the common people. The most notable reform was
the establishment of public granaries where surplus wheat could be stored and then distributed
to the needy. Others included improvements in the conditions of foot soldiers in the Roman
Army, economic reforms aimed at reducing the state's debts, and judicial reforms involving the
composition of juries. Just as his brother had done, Gaius incurred the enmity of several
powerful members of the Senate, who felt threatened that their power and authority were
being undermined.
Gaius' most controversial plan was to grant Roman citizenship to the Latins, native people
of Italy who never had enjoyed the rights of citizens. Even soldiers and those among the poor
who had shown popular support for Gaius' previous legislation balked at giving the full rights of
Roman citizenship to the Latins, despite the fact that the Latins had long been loyal allies,
fighting alongside Roman soldiers during the wars that had brought riches and glory to Rome.
Sensing the dwindling of popular support for Gaius, the Senate took the opportunity in 121 to
pass a law that would stop the colonization of Carthage, which Gaius had supported. In protest,
Gaius and his followers organized a demonstration. The Senate responded by issuing a decree
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Catsos- World History H1
that, in effect, declared Gaius an enemy of the state and sanctioned the use of armed force
against him. That action led to the murder of thousands of supporters of Gaius on Aventine Hill.
Gaius died when he ordered his servant to kill him with his own knife.
Aftermath
Although both Tiberius and Gaius were ultimately defeated and killed, their efforts had not
been entirely in vain. Many of their reforms remained intact, and perhaps even more important
was their influence on the way Roman politics were practiced. Each one demonstrated that a
leader backed by popular support could become a powerful political force. The
Gracchi recognized the dangers to the Roman Republic that were posed by the concentration of
wealth, land, and power into the hands of a few. Their attempts to remedy the situation
through the enactment of egalitarian programs, in keeping with the spirit of the early days of
the republic, were bitterly opposed by the Senate. In the years that followed the deaths of the
Gracchi, the ruling classes continued to focus their attention on increasing their wealth and
power, which served only to increase the growing social tensions. Although some of the
Gracchi's reforms remained in place, aristocratic self-interest eroded the stability of the
republic—paving the way for the Social War, the Roman Civil Wars of 88–30 BCE, and
eventually dictatorship and empire.
Source: "The Gracchi (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2012.
Web. 13 Oct. 2012.
Homework Questions: Answer the questions below in one complete paragraph each on a
separate piece of paper.
1. Why was the gap between rich and poor people expanding in Rome? Be sure to
consider the effects of expansion and the role of the latifundia.
2. During the time of the Gracchi, do you think the republican system of government was
still strong in Rome? Why or why not?
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