Changes And Continuities Of The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was a representative democracy that evolved to address the changing nature of Roman society. It was founded in 509 BCE after the overthrow of the last Roman king, and it lasted for over 400 years. During that time, the Roman Republic expanded its territory, its population, and its power. It also faced several challenges, including civil wars, foreign invasions, and economic crises. Despite Rome’s founding on the principles of a republic, it struggled to fairly represent all its citizens.

The Roman Republic emerged in 509 BCE following the overthrow of the Roman monarchy. As Gibbons and Livy in History of Rome both say, Rome got too big and too wealthy too fast, with the emperors being lax with their power and control

Initially, this system was exclusive, with political power retained by a few wealthy residents known as patricians. The working class, also known as plebs, had no voting power or right to run for office, creating significant tensions. Plebeians started pushing for more participation in government, which resulted in the creation of numerous offices and assemblies that allowed them to participate in decision-making. Despite Livy emphasizing the inclusion of the plebs in the republic, he also points out that wealthy people continued to have a large advantage in this political system, while the plebs were essentially ignored in decision-making. However, others were more comfortable with tensions that come from a democratic style of government. Machiavelli argues the opposite, saying that protest and successions are a natural part of a republic. Both authors highlight the competing priorities that the different classes brought to the table. Ultimately, even though Rome was on the path of something better by letting more people partake in the government, it still left people

Women and freed slaves were unable to vote, which was around fifty percent of the population. Of the remaining potential voters, historians guess that two to twenty-five percent participated in the election process, according to Alan Ward, in his book, How Democratic Was the Roman Republic? If people wanted to vote for government officials, they would have to come to Rome and cast a vote there, leaving out at least seventy-five percent of the population based on how big the roman empire was at the time. Another potential flaw with the roman republic is with the actual history written down about it. Mary Beard talks about this in her book, A History of Ancient Rome, saying that Livy wrote his historical accounts 400 years after the events took place, causing us to question how reliable writers at the time were. Many people were left out of the roman republic, leaving a small number of people able to partake in elections and decisions that affected