Download The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic
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The Early Republic
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Early Rulers
Around 600 B.C. Etruscan kings begin to rule
Rome.
 Kings build Rome’s first temples and public centers
 Romans overthrow cruel Etruscan kings in 509 B.C.
 Romans found a republic—a government in which
citizens elect leaders.
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The Early Republic

Patricians and Plebeians
Different groups struggle for power in early Roman
Republic
 Patricians—wealthy landowning class that holds
most of the power
 Plebeians—artisans, merchants and farmers; can
vote, but cannot rule

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Tribunes—elected representatives who protect Plebeians’
rights
The Early Republic

Twelve Tables
In 451 B.C. officials carve Roman laws on twelve
tablets.
 Called the Twelve Tables, they become the basis for
later Roman law.
 Laws confirm the right of all free citizens to the
protection of the law.
 Citizenship is limited to adult male landowners.
 The Twelve Tables are hung in the Forum
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The Early Republic

Government Under the Republic
Rome elects two consuls—one to lead the army and
one to direct government.
 Senate—chosen from Roman upper class; makes
foreign and domestic policy.
 Democratic assemblies elect tribunes and makes
laws for common people.
 Dictators are leaders appointed briefly in times of
crisis.
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The Early Republic

The Roman Army


Roman legion—military
unit of 5,000 infantry,
supported by cavalry.
Army is powerful and a
key factor in Rome’s rise
to greatness.
Rome Spreads Its Power

Rome Conquers Italy
The Romans defeat the Etruscans in the north and
the Greek city-states in the south.
 By 265 B.C., Rome controls the entire Italian
peninsula.
 Rome treats the conquered peoples justly. This
enables Rome to grow.

Rome Spreads Its Power

Rome’s Commercial Network
Rome establishes a large trading network.
 Access to the Mediterranean Sea provides many
trade routes.
 Carthage, a powerful city-state in North Africa, soon
rivals Rome.

Rome Spreads Its Power

War with Carthage
 Rome
and Carthage begin the Punic Wars—
three wars between 264 through 146 B.C.
 Rome defeats Carthage and wins Sicily in
the first 23-year war.
Rome Spreads Its Power

Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, avenges this
defeat in the Second Punic War.
 Takes
soldiers over Swiss Alps on elephants
 He attacks Italy through Spain and France, but
doesn’t take Rome.
Rome Spreads Its Power

Rome Triumphs
Roman general Scipio defeats Hannibal in 202 B.C.
 Rome destroys Carthage and enslaves its people in
the Third Punic War from 149-146 B.C
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