ipl-logo

Patricians Vs Plebeians Essay

622 Words3 Pages

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the differences between the plebeians and the patricians in the early part of Rome’s history caused dissention and eventually led the plebeians to rise up against the patricians. These differences included both economic and political inequalities and the struggles of the plebeians against these inequalities led to many reforms that helped to equalize the status of the two classes.
Discussion
The first difference highlighted by Morey is the different economic standing of the two classes, especially after the ouster of Rome’s kings (Morey, n.d.). Patricians were generally wealthy city-dwellers whose property was protected during the wars by both city walls and by the plebian army. Plebeians, on the other hand, were working class people, including farmers and craftsmen, whose land and businesses were neglected or destroyed while they fought in the army (Plebians, n.d.). After the conflicts had ended, the patricians were able to go on with life as normal but many of the plebeians were left without income or homes and had to borrow money to survive. Legally, any person unable to pay a debt could be imprisoned and enslaved, leading to the “desperate condition of the debtors” and a cycle of poverty …show more content…

In addition, two new officials were elected from the plebeian class called tribunes. Tribunes were given the power to counteract any magisterial action against a plebeian that they considered to be too harsh and they were to be able to perform their duties without interference. These efforts addressed the political inequality between the two classes, while another proposed action would have addressed the economic inequality: the failed “agrarian law” of Spurius Cassius that would have redistributed Rome’s public land to the plebeians (Morey,

Show More
Related
440 Words | 2 Pages

They had all the control over the religion and the government. The plebeians were everybody that wasn’t a Patrician. They had little to no voice throughout imperial Rome’s history. In both classes the oldest male was the head of the families. Women had no rights during this time and the people were Christian.

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

Patricians were landowners and plebeians were citizens but not landowners. Patricians would vote for senate, who had law making powers. Plebeians elected the assembly, who had advisory power. In the U.S. everyone over 18 is able to vote, whether you are a landowner or not.

Read More
96 Words | 1 Pages

The Plebeians did not have any say in the government but the consuls and the upper class

Read More
1213 Words | 5 Pages

During the decline of the Roman Republic , the Senate became the effective governing body of the Roman State. A certain circle of powerful or wealthy families, which consisted of patricians and plebeians, controlled the Senate. The patricians were a group of people who were known to be the wealthiest and most favored by the kings. The plebeians, on the other hand, were people who were typically poorer, but in some cases gained more wealth than the patricians.

Read More
273 Words | 2 Pages

People known as Plebeians were excluded from many government jobs, voting was unfair, and everything outside of Rome was settled by the senate. The Roman government excluded the Plebeians from most rights that the Patricians had. Fifteen years after the Roman Republic formed, in 494 B.C., the Plebeians rebelled due to lack of political rights and tons of debt.

Read More
514 Words | 3 Pages

The plebeians were merchants, crafts workers, soldier, housewives, farmers, builders of Rome... Basically they were doing all the tasks. They thought they had the highest impact in the society, while the patricians were only resting on their laurels. It's like in a house, the housewife who does everything and the mother just watches TV. More the plebeian felt injustice: the patricians had everything hand to them. They are spoiled children.

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

To be apart of the Tribunes you would have to be elected by the Assembly (consisted of only men) which was basically groups of citizens that were ranked on militarily statuses. Even though the plebeians got their representation that they wanted there was still a lot of

Read More
943 Words | 4 Pages

During the early times of the Roman Republic, lower-class citizens, or Plebeians, had virtually no say or impact on the government's rulings. Gradually, the Plebeians obtained more power, and could even hold the position of consul. Despite changes in the Roman Republic though, the Patricians were still able to use their wealth to gain control and influence. Constant war and internal conflict was weakening the Roman Empire, made worse by the fact that legions were more loyal to their generals that to the Emperor, and the

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

In the early years of the Republic, only patricians, who were members of the noble families, were allowed to hold political office. This led to a long struggle by the plebeians to gain political power, which was eventually granted through the creation of the office of the Tribune of the Plebs. Another undemocratic practice of the Republic was the exclusion of women from political power. Women were not allowed to vote or hold political office, and they were generally relegated to the domestic sphere.

Read More
764 Words | 4 Pages

You could only move down classes, not up. Sometimes, when a plebeian was barely getting by, he/she would become a slave, and then he/she could live in, house, food, and clothes in return for working for a master. The Roman Republic was made only up by the patricians, but the plebeians were the army men. This could have gone horribly wrong, but eventually, the

Read More
681 Words | 3 Pages

Some people might argue that life in the Roman Republic was fair, but the really only look at the life of a plebeian, specifically the wealthier ones that had more free-reign on what they were allowed to do. The average plebeian’s life was pretty standard. Some plebeians were landlords, made baked goods to sell, worked on farms, fought in the military and one plebeian was picked out to be apart of the consul. As far as everyday life for a plebeian, they would usually work or go to school (depending on age), and then they would go home and have dinner, while the wealthier plebeians would go out to dinner parties. In general, plebeian life was pretty fair compared to other people's lives in the Rome

Read More
939 Words | 4 Pages

Patricians are the higher class and they are wealthy. Also, they are the only ones allowed to be in the government. Their percentage of the population is a small junk of Rome. To be a patrician, you had to have been given birth by a patrician. Now the plebeian on the other hand is every other person in Rome.

Read More
490 Words | 2 Pages

They exercised great political and religious power. On the other hand, the plebeians were a free Roman and were a common group of people that include the poor and that wealthy land owner. We can notice that the majority of them from the wealthy, but they were ordinary citizens not elite. They worked in agriculture, construction, selling, and crafts. The distinction between patricians and plebeians in Ancient Rome was so big, for example, no one could become a patrician simply by acquiring wealth or political power

Read More
716 Words | 3 Pages

The poem “Richard Cory” by Ewin Arlington Robinson is one that I and many others can relate to in one way or another. Whether they relate to Richard Cory, who has it all or the townspeople wanting more. The theme we see in this poem is that money does not buy happiness. It tells the story of a wealthy man that everyone looks up to but little do they know he has issues of his own. The people are so blinded by his fortune that they don’t notice his sadness that drove him to suicide.

Read More
1117 Words | 5 Pages

Criticisms of Humankind Some may consider humanity doing amazing, but there certainly are a countless number of mistakes that humankind has made. These people probably criticize humankind often. John Wyndham, is no exception to this.

Read More

More about Patricians Vs Plebeians Essay

Related Topics

Open Document