Thursday, March 17, 2011

How was the Struggle of the Orders influential on later Roman politics?


The struggle of the Orders was a time period when the Patrician class had all the power, and then the Plebeians wanted some power too. This started a major disagreement and struggle. The Plebeians were the common people, but the Patricians were the aristocrats and were used to being in control. Basically the whole thing was the recurring pattern of the Patrician class attempting to hold onto power, while the Plebeians worked to rise to equality. In 494 B.C.E a secession of Plebeians ushered in a fundamental change to the Republican government. The Plebeians formed an assembly, and their own government, until the Patricians agreed to the establishment of an office that would have ‘sacrosanctity’. The Plebeians demanded to have a magistrate. These magistrate positions were also called Tribunes. The Plebian Tribune had the power to veto any law that the Patricians tried to send threw. This started the whole process of Checks and Balances. This process made sure that no party in Roman Politics became too powerful. So the Struggle of Orders mad it possible for the Plebeians to have so power, and not it all being Patricians. Before the Struggle of Orders, the Plebeians had no say at all in the Roman Republic; however, after there were new positions that gave the normal citizens power.  The Struggle of Orders was no less than influential on the later roman Politics.   

1 comment:

  1. I like how you went into detail on how the Plebes obtained their power. I think you should go into a little bit more detail on what the Patricians where doing that made the Plebes want to start their own republic.

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