Download The Rise of the Roman RepublicC

The Rise of the Roman Republic
II. The Etruscans and Rome (750-509 BCE)
• Early Romans and their
different neighbors
• Who were the Etruscans?
• The influence of the Etruscans
• The origin of the patron-client
system
• First Roman political system
rooted in Etruscan precedents
• Other developments grounded
in Etruscan culture and history
Map of the Roman Empire
The Rise of the Republic
•When the last Etruscan king was thrown out of Rome in 509
B.C.E., Roman leaders decided to begin a very new form of
government - a republic.
• In a republic, citizens elect leaders to run their government. In
Rome, the leaders chosen to replace the king were called
consuls.
•These consuls were elected by a group of ordinary citizens
known as an assembly, and the consuls were given advice by a
group of rich people known as the Senate.
• Although the citizens elected their own representatives, the
Roman Republic was not a democracy because not every citizen
had equal power. Citizens were divided into two classes,
patricians and plebeians.
A Roman was born into their class.
The Patricians created a Republic
The Senate was a council originally made up of
three hundred members, chosen among the leaders
of the people, former judges, etc.
The Consuls (advisors), two in number, presided
over the Senate and the Comitia. They introduced
bills and commanded the army in war. In Rome
they ruled a month each; in the army they
commanded a day each.
Roman Government
The Patricians
Patricians (puh TRISH uhns) The Upper-class
citizens of the Roman Republic. They came from
a small group of wealthy landowners and help
important military and religious offices.
The Plebeians
Plebeians (plih BEE uhns) The lower-class citizens of the
Roman Republic. These people were mostly peasants,
laborers, craftspeople and shopkeepers. Plebeians made up
about 95% of Rome’s population. They could not be priests or
government officials but were forced to serve in the army.
Basic Roman Government
As citizens, both Patricians and Plebeians had the
right to vote. However, only Patricians had the right
to hold any political, military or religious
offices. All power was in the hands of the
Patricians.
Conflict of Orders
Some Plebeians were quite wealthy. They believed
that they should have the same rights as the
Patricians. But the Patrician government did
nothing to end this cruel practice.
The struggle between the Plebeians and the
Patricians became known as the Conflict of Orders.
Council of Plebeians
By 494 B.C.E., the Plebeians had suffered long
enough. They left Rome. They refused to come
back until the Patricians met there demands of
equality. The Plebeians created their own assembly,
which was known as the Tribunes of the
Plebeians. They also elected their own leaders to
protect their rights, who were called tribunes.
The Plebeians gain Political
Equality
The Patricians had no choice but to let the
Plebeians keep their tribunes. The Plebeians
were granted the power to veto, the ability
to vote against any unjust law passed by the
Senate.
The Twelve Tables
The Twelve Tables
The Plebeians believed that Patrician judges took
advantage of this fact to rule unfairly against
plebeians.
So, finally in 450 B.C.E. the laws were engraved on
12 bronze tablets called the Twelve Tables. The
tablets were then displayed in the Forum, so all
citizens could see the rights given to them, though
few could actually read them.
Gaining Equality
During the 300’s B.C.E., the Plebeians gained more
and more rights. Plebeians could now become priests
in the Roman religion. Eventually Plebeians could
even become members of the Senate. But the
Plebeians and Patricians still held their meetings in
different places. The laws passed by the Patrician
senate applied to everyone. However, the laws passed
by the Plebian assembly applied only to Plebeians.
Equality for Plebeians
The Plebeians demanded that the laws passed by
their assembly apply to all citizens. Once again, the
Plebeians forced the issues by leaving Rome. This
time the Patricians gave in and in 287 B.C.E. agreed
to meet the demands of the Plebeians. Plebeians and
Patricians were finally equal under Roman laws.
Constitution
Rome set an example of a government ruled by
a written constitution (set of basic laws).
Rome’s republican form of government
inspired future ages in Europe and America.