Download The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic
One of the greatest civilizations to emerge in Europe was that of Rome. The Roman
Empire became a dominant force in the Western world for over 400 years.
Italy is a long, narrow, boot-shaped peninsula extending into the Mediterranean Sea.
Rome was a city-state located on a fertile plain in the middle of Italy near the west coast.
To the north, the Alps Mountains protected Rome and the rest of Italy from most invaders.
The sea provided further protection against invaders, while serving as a route for Roman
trade and expansion.
Geographic Feature of Italy:
Effect of Geographic Feature:
The early Roman city-state contained two main social classes: patricians or wealthy
landowning families and plebeians or small farmers, craftsmen, and merchants. In early
times, the Romans overthrew their king and made Rome into a republic. In a republic,
citizens vote to elect representatives, or people who will speak and govern for them. The
Roman Republic lasted from 509 B.C. to 27 B.C. – almost 500 years. The Romans
replaced the Etruscan king with two consuls. The consuls managed the government for a
one-year term. Each consul could veto, or say to no, a decision by the other consul.
Serving only one year and being vetoed kept the consuls from becoming too powerful.
The Roman senate, made up of 300 patricians, helped the consuls’ rule. It had the power
to pass laws. In times of war, it could choose a dictator for six months. The Roman
Republic was not a democracy because it allowed only patricians to vote. The wealthy
patrician class made up only 10 percent of the population of Rome. Yet, patricians ran the
government. Most Romans were plebeians or “the common people.” As citizens, the
plebeians paid taxes and served in the army. But they had little power. They could not
marry out of their class. Also, the patricians could sell plebeians into slavery if they did
not pay their debts. However, the plebeians had one important power. They were citizensoldiers. The patricians needed them to defend Rome against its enemies. In 494 B.C., the
Roman Republic gave the plebeians the right to elect two tribunes or representatives of the
plebeian class. The tribunes could veto any law that they did not like. Finally, the Roman
senate eventually wrote down the laws of Rome. The Twelve Tables were Rome’s written
laws. These laws included such important legal concepts as equality under the law and
innocence until proven guilty.
What is a republic?
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The Dates of the Roman Republic: ____________________________________________
Define the following terms:
Consul: _______________________________________________________________
Veto: ________________________________________________________________
Senate: _______________________________________________________________
Why was the Roman republic not a democracy?
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How was the Roman republic similar to and different from Athenian democracy?
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Socioeconomic Class of Roman Republic:
Description of Class:
How did the plebeians gain political rights?
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What political rights did they gain?
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What was the “Law of the Twelve Tables”?
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Why were the Twelve Tables important?
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Compare and contrast the Twelve Tables and the Code of Hammurabi:
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As the Romans began to conquer land and build an empire, the republic began to weaken.
Powerful generals began to gain power. Why do you think powerful generals would lead to
the collapse of the republic?
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