Development and Fall of the Roman Government

Throughout Roman history, it is evident that Rome possessed quite a successful form of government, all which was a result of continual change over time. The Roman government experienced many changes ranging from different forms of government; various government leaders and sections of power divided amongst the government; citizen participation and allowance in government, such as the separation of plebes and patricians as well as non-citizens; contention within one government; as well as other factors. Evidently, according to history, Rome’s government was able to thrive the long period that it did, yet due to many incorporative factors near its end, it ended in a fall.

The earliest Roman government is said to be derived from the Etruscan people, after the eradication of monarchy and overthrow of the last Etruscan king, Lucius Tarquinius. The people of Rome wanted a less despotic and terrorizing government, therefore eliminating the monarchy and balancing power through separate branches. This new form of government was known as the Roman Republic and was established in 509 B.C. It consisted of two consuls, the Roman senate, Assembly of Curiae, Assembly of Tribes, and the Assembly of Centuries. The consuls were the top military as well as civil officers, and could only be elected from patrician families by the Assembly of Centuries once a year. The Roman Senate was made up of elite elder nobles also only chosen from patrician families, and served as the main governing body. SPQR, meaning “The Senate and the People of Rome”, was labeled on the army to signify the significance of the senate. The Assemblies, once again, mainly patrician positions, took care of other business. Sadly, there were also plebeians who made up most of the population, in addition to the small amount of patricians. The plebeians were not happy with their share of nothingness in the government, and after being involved in a “struggle of orders” the Plebeians gained the right to two tribunes in 494 B.C., intermarriage with patricians in 445 B.C., and a codified law in 450 B.C. Tribunes were virtually “invincible” according to the patrician oath, and carried the powers of interdiction and veto. Although, when the tribunes interfered with the will of the senate, it was off with their heads. Two tribunes, Licinius and Sextius brought a bill in 367 B.C. which reserved one consulship for plebeians, as well as created eight praetors, “consul assistants”, which served as the chief in civil cases. They also attempted to establish land plots to bar upper classes from over- occupying, yet it only backfired. The last and most important addition to the Plebeian power was their power to pass laws with Senate support. The Romans maintained this form of government for a while through conquests and expansion, yet inner strife sought to make changes.