Download Class Struggle

Class Struggle
Plebeians & Patricians
Class Struggle
► There
was a problem with the Roman republic.
► We call it class distinction, the feeling that some
people are "upper class" while others are "lower
class" and inferior.
► In
Rome the senate was made up of upper class
patricians, but the majority of Rome's people
were plebeians.
Roman Senators
►
►
Plebeians included towns people, small farmers, merchants,
laborers, and artisans.
They had the right to vote; they paid taxes, and served in the army,
but they could not hold public office like the patricians.
►
The plebs resented the lack of power, because they knew the
patricians could not maintain power or the republic without them.
•The republic needed its soldiers - plebs were soldiers. In 494 B.C. they
went on strike to get their rights.
►
►
This scared the patricians.
They met some of the plebs demands and recognized
their representatives - the tribunes.
►
►
At first there were 2 tribunes, but as the city grew the number increased to
ten.
Tribunes could not make laws, but they could stop laws that were not good
for the plebs. All they had to say was "Veto!" Latin for " I forbid!"
►
They succeeded in 451 B.C. (after long struggle) to get the
government to engrave the Roman laws on 12 bronze tablets in
the Roman Forum.
•These were called The Twelve Tables. They became the basis for all
future Roman law.