8th Grade Social Studies
Roman Republic Notes
Mr. Droske
Romulus and Remus
Myths can reveal what the Romans believed and valued
Romans were polytheistic- belief in many gods
In the story the babies are protected by the gods
Romans believed the gods favored them over other civilizations
Rome was an ideal location for a civilization- the gods wanted Romulus to
be there
In the story, Romulus defends his honor and protects his city by killing his
brother
o Romans valued strength and protection
What were the causes of the American Revolution?
POWER
-Taxation -Troops in Boston -Massacre
-Representation -Tea Party -Proclamation of 1763
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution was designed to separate the powers of government
between people, branches, and levels
No one group or person gets total power
As a result, U.S. has a complex democracy
It takes a long time to do things
Power of the King
In early civilizations, it was common for the power to rest in the hands of
one person
-King, Pharaoh, Emperor, etc.
A good leader could accomplish a lot with this much power
However, a bad leader could do a lot of damage
Over time, more developed civilizations chose to create governments that
shared the power
Eventually, the people overthrew the king to obtain more power over their
civilization
The Roman Republic
Consider, how is this system of government similar to the United States
government? How is it different?
Executive Branch
2 Consuls
Served a 1 year term
Each Consul could veto the other
Consuls appointed members of the Senate
Consuls were elected by the Assembly
Legislative Branch
Senate
300 members
Serve lifetime terms
Make the laws
For a long time, only Patricians could be on the Senate
Assembly
Any male citizen could be in the Assembly
Gets to suggest laws to the Senate
They elect the Consuls
Judicial Branch
Judges are called Praetors
Elected each year by the citizens
Flaws of the Republic
The Republic was designed to distribute power and prevent abuse
However, Roman society was divided between the elite (Patricians) and the
average (Plebeians)
The structure of the Republic gave greater power and influence to the
Patricians.
o The senate was made up of Patricians serving life terms.
o For most of the republic’s history only Patricians could be consuls.
The Senate was only required to abide by the Assembly’s wishes in
situations involving war and peace, as well as the election of the Consuls.
o So if you were a Plebeian you had to hope that the Patricians in
charge had your best interests in mind.
As the Republic expanded the differences between Patricians and Plebeians
grew.
At one point the Plebeians threatened to boycott the military to gain more
rights.
To prevent an all-out rebellion, the Senate created the 12 Tables, which
established better rights and laws.
This prevented a rebellion, but the Plebeians never gained equal status in
the Republic.
Why was the Republic a flawed system of government?
There are many more Plebeians than Patricians
o But the Patricians had all of the power
o This is unfair
Leaders were chosen from a limited pool of candidates
o Maybe some Plebeians would have been good leaders
Patrician leadership might not recognize or value the needs of the
Plebeians
Possible Outcomes for the Republic
The Plebeians could rebel
Due to limited options, they might end up with poor leaders
Because they don’t understand or care about the Plebeians, the
government might make bad decisions
Growing Pains: Bigger Rome, Bigger Problems
After the Punic Wars with Carthage Rome controlled a lot more land.
The territories it had conquered we called Provinces.
More land created new problems for Rome.
Many farmers in Italy lost their land to wealthy Patricians.
Influx of slave labor coming into Rome, to result of victories in war.
Patricians began utilizing foreign labor (artisans) for their unique protects
and cheaper prices.
Many Plebeians are now unemployed.
Many of the poor Plebeians moved to the city of Rome seeking work or
charity, overcrowding in the cities lead to spread of disease and potential
riots.
*Rome’s expansion widened the gap between the Patricians and
Plebeians.*
The Republic Crumbles
Based on the set up of the Republic it is unlikely many of its problems could
have been solved.
The power brokers (meaning the people who have the power) benefited
from the inequalities of the Republic.
Why would they choose to change this?
Two major factors contributed to the fall of the Republic
1. The government was unqualified and making bad policies.
o This was due to years of corruption and poor habits.
2. People lost faith in the process of the Republic.
o They no longer respected the results of elections and laws.
Once people lost faith in the election process Rome dissolved into decades
of Civil War.
Powerful generals recruited private armies with the promise of wealth and
land.
Roman armies began conquering new land as a way to amass power and
pay their men.
It is in this climate that Julius Caesar emerges as a leader.
The Rise of Julius Caser
He was an excellent politician and general.
His armies had a lot of success conquering parts of Gaul (France).
He became popular among the people.
The Senate supported another powerful general, Pompey.
The two armies fought each other for a few years with Caesar the eventual
victor.
Caesar’s Reforms
Caesar’s popularity among the people increased due to some very effective
policies.
He expanded the Senate from 300 to 900 members and allowed Plebeians
to be a part of it.
He puts many unemployed Plebeians to work building roads, public
buildings, aqueducts etc.
He took greater control over the provinces, putting supervisors in place and
establishing universal laws.
He reformed the tax system making it more fair .
He standardized the Roman calendar.
*Under Caesar Rome was controlled, people had jobs, Plebeians had more
rights, and people were united.*
Of course not everyone liked these changes.
What’s the catch?
Patricians did not like losing status.
Senate did not like losing power.
Some people worried that Caser’s power went against the Roman ideal of
shared power.
Why Kill Caesar ?
JEALOUSY!
-The Senate wanted its power back.
Preserve Democracy
- Some Senators believed that Caesar had the power of a king and
had to be stopped.
*Caesar’s assassins under estimated his popularity and the tenuous nature of
the Republic’s peace.*
After his death, Rome went through more years of civil war.