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Roman Republic Essay

665 Words3 Pages

The Romans established a form of government known as a republic, which countries have emulated for centuries. In fact, the American government is based in part on the Rome model. It all started in 509 B.C., when the Romans defeated the invading Etruscans. The Etruscans ruled the Romans for hundreds of years, centered north of Rome. When the Romans gained their independence, they established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf. A republic differs from a democracy in that every citizen is expected to participate actively in state governance. This paper discusses the circumstances that led to the establishment of the republic, some of the elements that made it democratic, and some of the …show more content…

Eventually, a group of senators led by Lucius Junius Brutus fomented a revolt, the immediate cause of which was Tarquin's son Sextus' rape of a noblewoman, Lucretia. The Tarquin family was expelled from Rome, and the monarchy was abolished in the city-state (traditionally 509 BC) Following that, the Roman Republic was founded (Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia, 2018).

2)
According to National Geographic, n.d. The Senate served as the republic's sole governing body for only a short time, from the republic's founding in 509 B.C.E. until 494 B.C.E., when a plebian-led strike resulted in the establishment of the Concilium Plebis, or Council of the Plebs. This gave the plebeians a voice in the government. As a result, the Roman Republic established new legislative, or law-making, bodies. These legislative bodies, known as assemblies, shared power in the following ways:
Comitia Centuriata — This body made war decisions, passed laws, elected magistrates (consuls, praetors, and censors), heard capital conviction appeals, and handled foreign relations.
Concilium Plebis — This body chose its own officials and issued decrees for the plebeian class to follow; in 287 B.C.E., it gained the authority to make all decrees binding on the entire Roman …show more content…

3)
When the Roman Republic's constitution and how it was applied in theory and practice are examined, it becomes clear that, while constitutionally quite democratic, the Roman Republic was in practice a fundamentally undemocratic society dominated by a select caste of wealthy aristocrats. This can be seen in the Roman Republic through the structure of 'democratic' institutions as well as the power to make war and peace.
Rome was governed by a mixed constitution in which democracy was important, but only one part of the system that could only function if it was checked by kingship and aristocracy, represented by the Senate and consuls, respectively (Brown2016).

According to Polybius, the Roman constitution had three elements, each of which had sovereign powers...regulated...with such zeal for equality and balance that no one could say for certain...whether the constitution...was an aristocracy, democracy, or despotism Consuls have limited powers as elected officials and must rely on the people to ratify

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