Transcript Intro To Rome

Intro To Rome’s Republican
Government
The Very Beginning…
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From 616 – 509 BCE (Before Common Era), Rome was
ruled by the Etruscans.
Relatively little is known about the Etruscans. They were
a smaller-sized civilization, and the city of Rome was
situated right on its edge.
The Etruscan civilization had already been around before
Rome was founded, but historians do not know when it
first started.
Map of Etruscan Civilization
Early Roman Society
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During Etruscan rule (616-509 B.C.E.), Rome was divided into
two classes:
The Patricians
The Plebeians
A small group of wealthy landowners.
Lower-class citizens.
The Patricians controlled the most
valuable land, held the important
religious and military offices, and chose
the “fathers of the state” (the men who
advised the Etruscan king).
The plebeians were mostly peasants,
laborers, craftspeople, and shopkeepers.
Plebeians could not be priests or government
officials, they had little input in the
government, and were forced to serve in the
army.
Plebeians made up about 95% of Rome’s
population.
The Roman Republic
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Eventually, the patricians began to resent being ruled by
Etruscans. In 509 B.C.E., a group of them rebelled and
drove out the last Etruscan king.
They created a republic, a government in which the
people elect officials to govern them and work in their
best interest.
Unfortunately for the plebeians, the patricians
considered “the people” to be “the patricians.” The
plebeians still had little say in the government. And they
still made up about 95% of the population.
The New Government
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Most of the power belonged to the Senate.
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The army was commanded by consuls.
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The Senate was a group of 300 men, all elected by the
patricians. Senators served for life.
The Senate appointed other government officials, served as
judges, and advised the consuls. Senate decisions were treated
as law.
Two consuls were elected by the patricians and advised by the
Senate.
The consuls commanded together, and had the power to veto
each other. (Why do you think they were given this option?)
Consuls had a term of one year.
The new government was more democratic than the
Etruscan monarchy, but only for the patricians. It was an
“aristocratic republic”, not a “democratic republic”.
The Plebeians Start To Gain Power
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It was difficult to be a plebeian. The plebeians started out
poor, and it didn’t take much to make them even poorer.
Since many were farmers, they lived outside the city walls and
their lands weren’t protected from enemies. Their farms
were untended when they were serving in the army. When
they built up debts, it was to the patricians. Since the rules
were written by patricians, punishments for debt tended to
be harsh.
Plebeians Revolt
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In 494 B.C., the plebeians decided they didn’t want to take
it any more. They didn’t have many options, so they
decided the best way was to tell the patricians that they
would no longer serve in the army. They all deserted to a
place called Sacred Mount and told the patricians that
they’d have to protect Rome themselves.
The patricians realized that they needed to make some
changes. They were more reliant on the plebeians than
they had realized.
Changes to the Republic
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New elected officials: Tribunes of the Plebs
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2 at first, but eventually there were 10
The tribunes gave the plebeians’ input to the Senate and the
consuls.
The tribunes also had veto power over the Senate and
government officials.
New elected officials: the Council of Plebs
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The plebeians elected this council, and it made laws for them. The
Council of Plebs laws did not affect the patricians, however.
Over Time…
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This was just the first step. It took about 200 years, but the
plebeians continued to fight for more input in their
government.
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451 B.C.E. (approx): Laws were written down on tablets called
the Twelve Tables. Since the laws were now written, the patricians
couldn’t change them whenever they wanted to.
367 B.C.E.: A new law was passed to require one of the two
consuls to be plebeian. Since consuls became Senators when
their term was up, plebeians start to join the Senate, too.
Over Time, Continued…
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287 B.C.E: laws approved in the plebeian assemblies affect all
citizens. Plebeian assembles also nominate consuls, tribunes,
and members of the Senate.
How did the final government
look?
Consuls
Two consuls, served one year each. Elected by the Assemblies. Chief
executives of the government and commanders of the army.
Senate
Most important governing body. 300 members passed laws, elected officials,
and determined foreign policy. Chosen for life and advised Consuls. The
Assemblies could veto what the Senate advised the Consuls to do.
Assembly of Centuries
The patrician Assembly. It elected the main
administrative body of the government (the
magistrates).
Magistrates
The magistrates had administrative authority to
interpret and execute laws. Initially magistrates had
to be patricians, but eventually plebeians could be
magistrates, too.
Assembly of Tribes
The plebeian Assembly. It elected the tribunes and
eventually gained the power to make laws.
Tribunes
The Assembly of Tribes elected 10 tribunes each year.
Tribunes could veto the magistrates’ acts.
Influences
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How did the Roman Republic influence later governments
(including ours)?
Written laws
Elected assemblies
Checks and balances
Republicanism (do you remember what that is? It’s from
the fourth slide.)
What else?
What Next?
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Today we learned about the Roman Republican
Government.
Next, we’ll learn about how Rome expanded.
Roman Expansion From Republic To
Empire
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Once Rome became independent, it started to grow in
size and power. Over the course of 500+ years, Rome
expanded.
There are roughly four major periods of Roman
expansion.
The First Period of Expansion
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The first period began in 509 B.C.E., when Rome
founded its republic.
For 245 years, Rome fought in a series of wars to
protect its borders and gain more land.
During this period, the Romans fought against
neighbors in what is now Italy. They defeated the
Latins in central Italy and the Etruscans.
The Romans became allies with enemies they had
conquered. In this manner, Rome and its allies
controlled all of Italy by 264 B.C.E.
The 2nd Period of Expansion
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264 - 146 B.C.E.
Rome fought three major wars with the city of Carthage
in North Africa (now Tunisia).
Because of these wars, Rome gained control of North
Africa, much of Spain, and Sicily (an island off of Italy).
Rome also conquered Macedonia and Greece during this
time.
The 3rd Period of Expansion
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145 - 44 B.C.E.
Roman armies in the east took control of Asia Minor, Syria,
and Egypt.
Roman armies in the west conquered much of Gaul (what is
now France). These armies were led by Julius Caesar.
Because of these victories, Rome now ruled everything
around the Mediterranean. The Roman people were very
proud of their power.
There were problems, though. Civil wars started to spring
up, and successful army generals started to seek more
power.
Julius Caesar, the most successful general, named himself
Emperor. He was killed in 44 B.C.E.
The 4th Period of Expansion
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44 B.C.E. - 14 C.E.
Several years of civil war followed Caesar’s death.
Octavian (Caesar’s grandnephew and adopted son) became
emperor in 27 B.C. The Senate named him Augustus (“honored
one”).
Augustus pushed borders of the empire to natural boundaries
(rivers, seas, mountains, etc.) to make it easier to defend.
Subsequent emperors added more territory, until the Roman
Empire stretched from Britain to the Black Sea.