Rome : Government and Society What You Should Have Learned from the Reading

Remember…. Rome was ruled by Patricians, who were the wealthy, noble, minority. A group of people known as Plebeians made up the majority of society but had no say in the way the government was run. As you can imagine, they weren’t too happy! The Patricians were smart enough to realize that they had to make the Plebeians happy to avoid a revolt, so they made a few changes to their republic. The Romans developed a tripartite, or a government with three parts, or branches. Our government is also a tripartite!

The Roman Tripartite : Magistrates The Roman tripartite was still considered a Republic because officials were elected. The first part, or branch, of the tripartite was made up of magistrates. The two most powerful magistrates were called consuls. There were two so that no one person had all the power. Other magistrates were elected for jobs like organizing games, festivals for the gods, and for deciding whether or not criminals were guilty or innocent.

The Roman Republic : The Senate The Roman Senate was made up of wealthy, powerful Romans who had the job of advising consuls. Senators served for life and were often former magistrates (ex-magistrates). Eventually the Senate gained control of Rome’s finances and had great influence in the government. This made magistrates want to please the Senators.

The Roman Republic : Assemblies and Tribunes These two branches protected the plebeians. Assemblies elected magistrates. Tribunes were elected by Plebeians and had veto power, which meant they could prohibit, or forbid actions of other government officials. ONE YEAR!

Checks and Balances Another way Roman leaders’ powers were limited was because of Checks and Balances. Basically, if one branch had an idea for Rome, they had to clear it with the other branches first. As you can imagine, the government often argued.

Our Government Uses a Checks and Balances System as Well!

Get It? No? Oh, Well Here’s a Brainpop

Law of the Twelve Tables Every successful government has a system of laws. Originally Rome’s laws weren’t written down anywhere, so people often did not know they were breaking the law. Eventually, however, Romans decided to write them down and hang them in the Forum, or their public meeting place.

Law of the Twelve Tables : For Example

The Roman Forum In the Roman Forum there were important government buildings and temples. The Temple of Jupiter The Forum, which means public place, was usually packed with people!

The Roman Forum Today