The Patricians And Plebeians: The Democratic Republic Of Ancient Rome

After the patricians and plebeians had driven out the Kings and kingship was ended, Rome became a republic under aristocratic kind of governance not a democratic republic. This meant that power rested not in the whole people, but in a particular class, which was in this case the patricians. The patrician came to present Etruscan rule which they came after rebelled and done away with Etruscan King in 509 B.C.

The patricians were generally more wealth than the plebeians. It was based on these economic and political differences ultimately led to a plebeian revolt. In the words of Morey, W. C. (1901), it was the struggle between the rich and the poor, a contest of more equal distribution of wealth and sought for political equality with the patricians.

The plebeians were the merchants, farmers, and craft workers of Rome. The patricians excluded the plebeians from the consulship and the Senate, so when the Senate declared war in 491BCE, the plebeians refused to fight. They withdrew from the city until they were given the right to elect their own leaders. The patricians saw that the loss of the plebeian army would be the destruction of Rome. It was at this point the patricians and the plebeians negotiated a settlement that allowed the plebeians a voice in Roman government. The plebeians elected tribunes, who represented their order against any mistreatment by the consuls or the Senate. Tribunes could veto a law passed by the Senate or the consuls. In in 367 B.C.E a new law indicated that two Roman consuls had to be a plebian. For consuls held seats in the senate, so this change also made it possible for plebeians to become

C., 1901)

These new officers were given the power to “veto” like to forbid the act of any magistrate to pass judgement unjustly upon any citizen. This is an important result of the first secession.

As time went on, there became few legal differences between the plebeians and the patricians. The plebeians could be elected to the senate and even be consuls. Plebeians and patricians could also get married. Wealthy plebeians became part of the Roman nobility. However, despite changes in the laws, the patricians always held a majority of the wealth and power in Ancient Rome.

Some of the remarkable results of the secession were that they agreed to cancel all debts and to release people who were in prison for debt, the plebeians were granted the right to be represented by new officials, called tribunes, and the tribunes had the right to veto the act of any magistrate which was unjust to any