Download Rome develops a Republic

Rome develops a Republic
From Kingdom to Republic
509 B.C.E.
Overthrew Etruscan king
Set up Republic:
A form of government which power rests
with citizens who have the right to elect
the leaders, no monarch.
Early Republic: battle for power
Patricians
Aristocratic landowners who held most of
the power.
Plebeians
Common people at the beginning of the
Republic they were denied the power to
elect officials .
Republican Government
Separate branches:
Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Two Consuls- Executive
Officials who commanded the army and directed
the government.
Term of office one year, elected by the Patricians
Senate- legislative
Aristocratic (Patricians) branch of Rome’s
government
• Controlled foreign and financial policies and advised
consuls.
Tribunes (legislative)
Elected by the plebeians to represent
their interests in government
They had the power to veto measures
they judged unfair
Roman Law
“Believed that laws should be based on
principles of reason and justice and
should protect citizens and their
property. This idea applied to all people
regardless of their nationality.”
This idea had a great influence on the
development of democracy in western world.
A Written Legal Code
450 B.C.E.
Twelve tables
Assured that all citizens had a right to the
protection of the law.
These laws or versions of these laws have
been assimilated into modern democracies.
Such as innocent until proven guilty and
the right to face your accuser before a
judge in a court of law.