ROMAN GOVERNMENT
REPUBLIC:
The Romans established a Republic as their form of government. The word republic means "that which belongs to the people." In a republic the people get to elect officials to work in the government. The Romans felt that by creating a republic, it would prevent any individual from getting to much power.
In the Roman republic, there was a branch of government called the senate. The senate made the laws and controlled the government. There were 300 members in the senate that were originally all patricians, or memebers of the land owning upperclass. Two consuls were chosen each year from the senate, whose jobs were to supervise the business of government and command the armies. Consuls could only serve one term.
A dictator, or ruler who has total control over a government, would sometimes be chosen in the event of war. A dictator could only rule for 6 months
At first only patricians were in the government. Plebians, who were the farmers, merchants, and artisans, had little to no influence in the government. Their demand for a say in the government helped to shape politics in the early republic. To ensure that the plebians had a voice in the government, they gained the right to elect officials called tribunes that would protect their rights as citizens. These tribunes could veto laws that the plebians felt could be harmful to themselves. The stubborness of the plebians to ensure that they had a voice in the government eventually forced the senate to elect plebians as consuls and members of the senate, making Rome more democratic. Another break through for the plebians was made in the government when they demanded that the laws of Rome be written on tablets. The government listened and made the Laws of the Twelve Tables.
The Roman government was very succesful in the sense that they allowed the citizens to voice their opinions and get a say in how Rome was run. This shaped the way many of todays governments are run.
The Romans established a Republic as their form of government. The word republic means "that which belongs to the people." In a republic the people get to elect officials to work in the government. The Romans felt that by creating a republic, it would prevent any individual from getting to much power.
In the Roman republic, there was a branch of government called the senate. The senate made the laws and controlled the government. There were 300 members in the senate that were originally all patricians, or memebers of the land owning upperclass. Two consuls were chosen each year from the senate, whose jobs were to supervise the business of government and command the armies. Consuls could only serve one term.
A dictator, or ruler who has total control over a government, would sometimes be chosen in the event of war. A dictator could only rule for 6 months
At first only patricians were in the government. Plebians, who were the farmers, merchants, and artisans, had little to no influence in the government. Their demand for a say in the government helped to shape politics in the early republic. To ensure that the plebians had a voice in the government, they gained the right to elect officials called tribunes that would protect their rights as citizens. These tribunes could veto laws that the plebians felt could be harmful to themselves. The stubborness of the plebians to ensure that they had a voice in the government eventually forced the senate to elect plebians as consuls and members of the senate, making Rome more democratic. Another break through for the plebians was made in the government when they demanded that the laws of Rome be written on tablets. The government listened and made the Laws of the Twelve Tables.
The Roman government was very succesful in the sense that they allowed the citizens to voice their opinions and get a say in how Rome was run. This shaped the way many of todays governments are run.