ipl-logo

Patricians And Plebeians: The Cause Of Conflict In Ancient Rome

520 Words3 Pages

“In the fifth and early fourth centuries, Rome also faced severe internal conflicts that accompanied its foreign wars.” Roman historians noted famine, and conflicts over land and debt. The competition for power among Roman leaders potentially could have caused violence and disorder. “This strife, however, was worsened by deeper conflicts, reflecting aspects of the basic organization of the Republic and of the Roman society in general. Modern scholars call this conflict the “Struggle of the orders.”
Roman historians suggest a lengthy conflict between two opposing groups, the patricians and plebeians, depicted the first centuries of the Republic. To be a patrician, a Roman needed to be from one of the exclusive families by birthright. The origins of the patriciate are unknown. The control of the city and eventually high offices in the Republic were held by the patricians. …show more content…

“The Roman plebs was not a homogenous group, since it contained individuals with a range of statuses and roles in the city. Some were not even poor, although most probably were.” As a result, this may have caused a discrepancy amongst the plebeians. Topics such as land distribution and debt would be a concern of the poorer plebeians. “Secession” is a type of strike or main weapon used by the Plebeians suspected by historians when debt, high food prices, and poverty were difficult. “In a “secession,” plebeian members of an army would withdraw to a hill outside of Rome, choose their own leaders, and refuse to cooperate with the magistrates of the city until their grievances had been

Show More
Related
1226 Words | 5 Pages

Sallust, a highly regarded Roman historian, commented that “…fear of its enemies preserved the food morals of the state, but when the people were relived of this fear, the favourite vices of prosperity-licence and pride-appeared as a natural consequence”. This is corroborated by Florus, a criticized Roman historian and poet “The next hundred years were unhappy and deplorable because of internal calamities. The resources and wealth gained in our conquests spoiled the morals of the age and ruined the state, which was engulfed in its own vices as in a common sewer”. Both Sallust and Florus explain how Tiberius’ death caused the senate to resort to violence in order to keep their power. Consequently, the peace in Rome was disturbed and eventually led to the fall of Rome.

Read More
617 Words | 3 Pages

In this essay the reason for Rome’s fall will be identified and why they caused Rome’s downfall. The primary reasons for the fall of Rome are military problems, untrustworthy government/injustice, and natural disasters/diseases. One of the reasons Rome fell is due to the fact Rome had multiple Military problems. According to Document B “because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it” (Doc B). Also according to Document B, “soldiers fought the Goths without any protection for chest and head and were often beaten by archers” (Doc B).

Read More
2227 Words | 9 Pages

From the rise to the fall of Rome, Scholars have been interpreting the historical documents of Rome for centuries. “753 the first Roman king, Romulus, founded an advisory council of 100 men. This body would become the Senate” (Muscato , 2016). The establishment

Read More
1474 Words | 6 Pages

In this essay, we will look at the causes of the outbreak of Civil War in Rome in 49BC and the reason why Julius Caesar was greatly responsible for it. Although it is clear that Caesar was the main cause of the Civil War, we must not neglect to mention other factors which contributed to it. As such, we will consider whether Caesar’s refusal to give up his armies, the actions of the optimates against the populares or fear of prosecution, led to the war. This essay is, therefore, only concerned with the events leading up to the war and not the specifics of the war itself.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

In the third century BCE, Rome engaged in three disastrous and catastrophic wars with Carthage known as the Punic Wars; the last one ending in the complete obliteration of Carthage. Rome won each war, but the result brought more disasters than rewards. Rome was not completely ready for the task that came after; they had not prepared “for their success.” A city located inland of Italy was now challenged with the responsibility of scattered territories off the coast of Italy while, also dealing with increasing strife inside its own city. Roman farmers forced to sell their lands, the rich getting even richer, unemployment, and political corruption are just some of the many problems Rome would have to face.

Read More
558 Words | 3 Pages

These devices strike sympathy in the plebeians for Caesar, but also a strong displeasure towards Brutus. By talking about his friend’s death in a tragic way, Antony not only persuades the plebeians to side with him instead of Brutus, but he also causes the plebeians to come together in a massive horde and become a violent riot through

Read More
1090 Words | 5 Pages

The conflicts during the Dacian wars are justified primarily due to reasons surrounding empire expansion, protecting the interests of the Romans, and also defense from any threats that the Dacian forces were putting against them. In Cassius Dio, it is written, “For he took into account their past deeds and was grieved at the amount of money they were receiving annually, and he also observed that their power and their pride were increasing" (Cassius Dio 6). The text describes Trajan’s realization of the growing power of the Dacians and his advances towards the conflict due to these reasons. The idea of protecting the Roman empire is significant within this text and is an example of why war conflict was a path that the Romans would go through. In Trajan’s Column, there is an image of Trajan looking up at the soldiers as they cross the Danube (scene 4).

Read More
394 Words | 2 Pages

After the Gallic sack, the Romans had some time for the recovery and expansion, but it also brought some sort of social inequalities and conflicts between the Roman aristocrats and the plebian, which were the Roman commoners. “This period is represented as one of political tension and strife, leading on an attempted coup d’état in 384 and culminating in a period of anarchy in the years around 370.” The major points of contention between the Orders during the Republic were the issues related to “land, debt, and the political rights of the plebeians,” although the main reasons and causes of this conflict were not clearly documented and are still unclear. According to Livy, the main problem was about debt, and he argued that the debt problem

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

Merriam-Webster defines strong as, “able to withstand great force or pressure.” In ancient Greek culture, the idea of having a strong mind and a strong body was heavily emphasized. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus the king of Ithica is a perfect model for this value. He begins his trek home following the Trojan War; however, his journey is troublesome and lengthy as he encounters numerous monsters, gods, and other predicaments. After twenty years, he returns home to his wife and son unaccompanied by his men who were killed at sea.

Read More
598 Words | 3 Pages

Brutus, Cassius and Mark Antony were aware of the fact that if the plebeians sided with them, they would hold all the power. Yet the plebeians were still ignorant of this fact. Although, they were unable to recognize the potential in their ability to unify. The possibilities that their unification could portray were endless

Read More
2210 Words | 9 Pages

They acknowledge that there are some similarities between the two societies, but they also recognize that there are important differences. Rather than using Rome to support their own political positions, they use it as a lens through which to understand the complexities of history. It is worth noting that historical analogies are often used to support a particular political agenda or worldview. Depending on the author's perspective, the comparison between Rome and America may be used to argue for or against a particular political ideology, or to emphasize the dangers or benefits of a particular course of action. Therefore, it may be difficult to offer an entirely objective interpretation of the relationship between ancient Rome and modern America, given the inherent political nature of the topic.

Read More
1512 Words | 7 Pages

It seems that the fall of the Roman Republic was not a singular event that occurred instantaneously, but rather a long process that saw the increasing use of methods outside of Republican institutions to settle conflicts between members of the aristocracy over political power. Even as the Roman government transitioned form Kingdom to Republic and then to Empire, the competition between aristocratic families remained a relative constant in across the centuries. So too has the desire to mythologize the past. The romans attributed both the fall of the Kingdom of Rome and the fall of the Roman Republic to moral rot, while a more reasonable assessment might place the blame on a dissatisfied and competitive elite class and an inefficient and unresponsive governmental system that was unwilling or unable to address their concerns. In much the same way, modern observers of the Roman Republic have tended to mythologize the fall of the Republic in the service of creating a moral narrative about the unconscionable tyranny of Cesar and the righteousness of the Senate, or whatever alternative narrative is befitting of the historical moment and audience.

Read More
490 Words | 2 Pages

The patricians and the plebeian were united with each other in the wars to rid of kings. Some of these wars took place near city state. The patricians, who living a lavish lifestyle, were protected by the city walls. While the plebeian was not in the same case. They went to the wars and serving in the army to fighting for the good of everyone unlike the patricians, although that they have had terrible consequences.

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

Using a “client army”, or hired mercenaries, he seized Rome’s highest offices and forced the Senate to support him. Notably, Sulla’s army consisted of commoners that did not own land or weapons. This ended up being crucial in Sulla’s capture of Rome, where his “officers except one deserted him … but his common soldiers followed him” (Hunt, 166). Sulla killed his opponents and anyone that dissented him, leading to the senate to become terrified of him.

Read More
1069 Words | 5 Pages

When I was in Junior high school and Senior high school, lecture style was pretty common at the English class. The teachers were always in front of students, and some students did not listen to what teachers said. English class at Junior high school was better than the class at Senior high school. The teachers at Junior high school were trying to make students speak in English. They always pointed out some students and asked questions.

Read More

More about Patricians And Plebeians: The Cause Of Conflict In Ancient Rome

Related Topics

Open Document