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Roman Republic Checks And Balances

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The Roman Republic was a very effective governance structure that lasted for more than five centuries before it fell and was replaced by the Roman Empire. Corruption, economic instability, and military conquest are only a few of the elements that scholars believe contributed to the decline of the Republic. Therefore, in my opinion, the most important element was the dissolution of the Roman political system's checks and balances, which allowed ambitious people to take control and undermine the Republic's democratic institutions.

The Roman Republic was built on the idea of mixed government, which included a system of checks and balances to prevent any one person or party from gaining excessive power. Two consuls who were elected yearly and shared executive authority as well as the right to override one another's decisions were the foundation of the political structure of the Roman Republic. The richest and most powerful men in Rome made up the Senate, which worked alongside the consuls to advise them and approve the legislation. A popular assembly made up of citizens also existed in the Roman Republic, and it had the authority to elect officials and enact laws (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). It was the goal of the power distribution among the consuls, Senate, and popular assembly to …show more content…

One approach would have been to increase the influence of the plebeian assembly, which represented the general populace and might serve as a check on the Senate's authority. Early in the Republic, the plebeian assembly wielded considerable power, but as the Republic grew increasingly oligarchic, its influence diminished (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). The Republic may have avoided the consolidation of power in the hands of a few powerful families by granting the plebeian assembly more

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736 Words | 3 Pages

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2227 Words | 9 Pages

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913 Words | 4 Pages

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