Why Was There A Political Divide Between The Optimates And The Populares

The Roman Republic was created in 509 BCE when the Romans revolted against the Etruscans. Rome became an independent republic controlled by wealthy landowners, also known as the Patricians. The commoners throughout Rome were known as the Plebeians, and there was a constant struggle over rights between these two groups. In later years, the expansion of Rome led to a political divide. In this political divide, two factions emerged; the Optimates and the Populares. The Optimates were the most powerful families in Rome and wanted to preserve the current state of the Republic because it allowed the senators to control power. The Populares was full of farmers and was more focused on the causes of the regular man. The more wealthy citizens slowly began to buy land for their homes, which caused small farmers to begin to lose their jobs. Food was beginning to shrink, and thousands of Populares had lost their jobs. This created more animosity between the two factions.

Tiberius Gracchus wanted to make land reforms which would protect the commoners. He wanted the excess land bought by the Optimates to be distributed among the peasants. The Senate believed he was doing this to gain power and sent the Optimates to kill him and his followers. Gaius Gracchus also wanted to help the poorer people in Rome. He proposed a law that would lower the price of grain and also wanted to create colonies for the commoners to allow them to own land. The Senate once again felt threatened by Gaius’ plan and killed him to preserve the Republic. This further broke the stability of the