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The Roman Republic
World History/Napp
“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.
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 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 had 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.
Most Romans were plebeians or ‘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 citizen-soldiers. 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. ~ World History
1- Identify three geographic features of Italy.
2- How did the Mediterranean Sea benefit the Romans?
3- Identify the two main social classes of the early Roman state.
4- How did these two classes differ?
5- Define republic.
6- How did the Romans prevent political leaders from becoming too powerful?
7- Why were the plebeians able to gain rights?
8- Define tribune.
9- How did the veto benefit plebeians?
Patricians/Plebeians
- Patricians inherited
their power and
claimed that their
ancestry gave them
the authority to
make laws for Rome
- The plebeians were
citizens of Rome
with the right to vote
but could not hold
the most important
government
positions
- In time, Rome’s
leaders allowed
the plebeians to form
their own assembly
and elect
representatives
called tribunes
Government
- Rome two consuls
commanded the
army and directed
the government
- But a consul’s term
was only one year
long and one consul
could veto the
other’s decisions
- The senate had
both legislative and
administrative
functions
- Its 300 senators
were chosen from
the upper class of
Roman society
- In times of crisis,
the republic could
appoint a dictator
- A dictator’s power
lasted for only six
months
Army
- The Romans placed
great value on the
military
Expansion
- By 265 B.C., the
Romans were
masters of Italy
- All citizens who
owned land were
required to serve in
the army
- Rome’s location
gave it easy access to
the riches of the
lands around the
Mediterranean Sea
- Roman soldiers
were organized into
large military units
called legions
- However,
Carthage, once a
colony of Phoenicia –
located in North
- The Roman legion
Africa, competed
was made up of some with Rome
5,000 heavily armed
foot soldiers
- Rome and
(infantry)
Carthage fought
three wars known as
- A group of soldiers the Punic Wars
on horseback
(cavalry) supported
- When Rome finally
each legion
set Carthage afire
and sold its 50,000
- Legions were
inhabitants into
divided into smaller slavery
groups of 80 men,
each of which was
called a century
1- Which social class had the power to make the laws of Rome and which social class
gradually gained the right to veto those laws?
2- What could consuls do and not do and why did dictators sometimes rise?
3- How was the Roman army organized?
4- What was the difference between infantry soldiers and cavalry soldiers?
5- Which kingdom competed with Rome for control of the Mediterranean Sea?
6- Why were the Punic Wars fought?
7- What happened to Carthage as a result of the Punic Wars?
1- Why was the Mediterranean Sea important to Rome and Carthage?
2- What three continents are connected by the Mediterranean Sea?
1- How did the Roman Senate differ from the American Senate?
2- What was Rome’s legal code? What is the U.S.’s legal code?
3- Who was a citizen in Rome?
4- Who is a citizen in the United States?
5- How did the executive branch of government in Rome differ from the executive branch
of the government in the United States?
The Roman republic was dominated by
1. patricians.
2. plebeians.
3. priest.
4. merchants.
Which geographic feature was central in
helping the Romans unify their empire?
1.Alps
2.Tiber River
3.Mediterranean Sea
4.Great Rift Valley
At the height of its power, which ancient
civilization controlled the entire coastal
region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea?
1. Phoenician
2. Persian
3. Roman
4. Carthaginian
How did the geography of the Italian
peninsula influence the development of the
Roman Empire?
1.The unnavigable rivers in the northern
part of the peninsula protected the Romans
from their neighbors.
2.The harsh climate prevented agricultural
production on the Italian peninsula.
3.The lengthy, rugged seacoast encouraged
frequent invasions of the Italian peninsula.
4.The location of the peninsula contributed
to Roman control of the Mediterranean
region.
One contribution of ancient Roman culture
was the development of
1. the concept of zero
2. the process of making silk
3. a republican form of government
4. the printing press
In a republic, citizens vote for
1. Kings
3. Representatives
2. Clergy
4. Judges


Roman women could own property.
Roman women could make wills
leaving their property to whomever
they chose.
A valid conclusion drawn from these facts is
that Roman women
1. had the right to vote
2. enjoyed some legal rights
3. were equal to men
4. could hold political offices
The ideals developed in the Athens of
Pericles and in Republican Rome influenced
the development of
1. a parliament in Britain
2. military juntas in Latin America
3. a communist government in China
4. a theocracy in Iran
A major contribution of the Roman
Republic to Western European culture was
the
1. concept of government by laws
2. belief that political power should be
controlled by the military
3. establishment of agricultural
communes
4. rejection of the concept of slavery
The ancient Romans’ most significant
contribution to Europe has been in the area
of
1. economics
2. poetry
3. drama
4. government
The Punic Wars were fought between Rome
and Carthage for control of
1. The Alps
2. The fertile plain
3. The Pyrenees
4. The Mediterranean Sea