Roman Republic Research Paper

The Roman Republic was established in a number of ways and its structure played an integral role in the establishment of a stable government (Golden 45). In the year 509 BCE, the Romans overthrew their rulers. They did not just want to change their political status but also wanted to establish a government that would leave a lasting influence on their political system for many periods to come. First of all, upon conquering their Etruscan rulers, the Romans embarked on forming a stable republic with a representative system of government and its core objective was to create a harmonized society following the wars with the Etruscan rulers. Upon creation of the Roman Republic, the three arms of government were established: the elected magistrates, the Senate, and the legislative assemblies. The Constitution defined the roles and the powers of the three branches of government, in turn leading to the construction of the Roman Republic that was governed by principles and guidelines outlined in the

In this context, the structure of the Roman Republic is probably best understood with consideration of the class structure and how the elite exercised control (Burckhardt 85). The republic was made up of two social classes. The patricians were members of the elite class and included noble people such as landowners. The plebeians on the other hand were the common Romans. Unlike in modern societies where individuals can change their social classes, citizens under the Roman Republic could not change their classes with plebeians and patricians distinctly separated. This distinct separation is seen by scholars as a strategy for elite class to hold on to power and control. This is even more evident considering that an individual’s socioeconomic status determined the position they could serve within the structure of the