2. The Beginning
The Roman patricians wanted
more power and didn’t want to be
ruled by the Etruscan kings
Kings were helping the plebeians
Patricians promised to give the
plebeians power in the new
government if they would help
overthrow the kings
509BC: The patricians and
plebeians worked together to
overthrow the kings
3. Representative vs. Direct
Democracy
Direct Democracy: citizens vote
directly on the laws
◦ Example?
Representative Democracy:
citizens vote for leaders who make
decisions for them (often more
efficient)
◦ Example?
Republic: a type of government in
which citizens who have the right to
vote select their leaders
◦ Example?
4. Birth of the Republic
Once in power, the patricians
didn’t give the plebeians power
as they had promised
494BC: The plebeians went on
strike
Patricians gave the poor men the
right to vote
Plebs would gain further rights
over the next several hundred
years
5. Overview of the Roman
Government
Representative
democracy
◦ Elected officials
were called
magistrates, but
there were many
different types of
magistrates
Tripartite
◦ Magistrates
◦ Senate
◦ Assemblies and
Tribunes
6. Magistrates
2 consuls were the most
powerful and ran the
government
Patricians only, later
changed to one patrician
and one plebeian
Could only serve for one
year
Could veto each other
With the Senate, consuls
could appoint an dictator in
an emergency
◦ Could only serve for 6
7. The Senate
300 patricians
(later allowed
plebs)
Served for life
Advised the
consuls
Passed laws
8. Assemblies and Tribunes
Assemblies: elected magistrates
and made of plebeians and patricians
Council of Tribunes:
◦ Set up in 471BC after the plebs
demanded more rights
◦ Plebeians elected members by voting
◦ Members called tribunes
◦ Could veto actions and laws by the
Senate
◦ Served for only 1 year
Most democratic branch
of the government
◦ Why?
9. Plebeians Gain Rights
471 BC: Council of
Tribunes set up (tribunes)
455 BC: Plebs allowed to
marry patricians
451BC: Twelve Tables -
laws were written down and
posted in public
367 BC: Plebs allowed to
become consuls
287 BC: Plebs could now
pass laws for all Roman
citizens, not just other
plebeians
10. Citizenship
Both men and women
Could run for government positions
Different levels based on wealth/lineage meant
different rights
◦ Full citizen: free, landowning men, over age 15
Rights: vote, marry free persons (not slaves), could
buy/sell/trade goods, hold public office
◦ Partial 1: women couldn’t vote or hold public office but
could own property and engage in trade
◦ Partial 2: could vote and trade, but couldn’t hold office
or marry free women (freed slaves, conquered
people, criminals)
Citizens wore white togas to show they were not
slaves
◦ Purple togas in the Empire
11. Civic Duty
Duty to help city prosper through
government
Attend assembly meetings and
vote
Wealthy: hold office and run city
12. Checks and Balances
Methods to balance power in
government
Government officials held power
over other government officials
◦ Ex: veto power of consuls and
Council of Tribunes
Complicated government
13. Law of the Twelve Tables
Only patricians knew laws
Plebeians could break laws they
didn’t know about
Plebs demanded laws be written
down
450 BC: Law of the Twelve Tables
created
Laws were written on twelve bronze
tables (tablets) and posted in the
Forum
◦ Roman Forum: meeting place that
included important buildings, temples
Notas del editor
Patricians: wealthy landownersPlebeians: majority of Romans; common working class; couldn’t hold office
When the plebeians went on strike, they left the city; patricians had no one to make things or serve themThe two classes couldn’t intermarryBoth paid taxes and served in the army
Magistrates: elected officials; different levels of magistratesTripartite: three-part government to ensure power-sharing
Veto: “I forbid it” in Latin
TwelveTables: similar to Code of Hammurabi; many people couldn’t read though