The Roman Republic

At the same time that Athens was moving toward democratic rule, people
known as the Romans began their own experiment in government. The
people who would eventually become the Romans first settled in modern-
day Italy around 1500 BC, and they established the city of Rome soon after.
Little is known about these people except that they spoke Latin and soon
uh·truh·skn
fell under the influence of several other groups, most notably the Etruscans
and the Greeks, who had established colonies on the southern tip of the
Italian peninsula. After a short period of conquest and unification, the
remove power
Romans overthrew their kings, and in 509 BC they established a republic. A
republic is a form of government in which the leader is not a king, is
usually elected, and certain citizens have a right to vote.
puh·tri·shn plih·bee·unhz
Rome was divided into two classes—the patricians and the plebeians
(plih BEE unhz). The patricians were the wealthy, landowning elite, who
under the Roman Republic became Rome’s ruling class. The plebeians were
the poor landowners, farmers, merchants, artisans, and craftspeople who
not important
made up the majority. All male citizens, regardless of class, paid taxes,
served in the military, and had the right to vote, although only patricians
could hold political office.
A Senate, a ruling body of patricians who served for life, was the focal
counselling
point of Roman politics. At first the Senate served only in an advisory
most important
capacity, but by the third century BC it had come to dominate rule in the
Republic. Below the Senate were several people’s assemblies, most
action of electing
importantly the centuriate assembly, which elected officials and passed
laws. The plebeians also had their own assembly, called the council of the
plebs, to serve as a check on the power of the patrician class.
cheef not shef
The chief political officers in Rome were the consuls and praetors. Two
consuls, elected annually, ran the government and commanded Roman
armies, taking turns as to prevent any one man from gaining too much
supervise
power. The praetors oversaw all civil laws—laws governing Roman citizens
—and eventually as Rome’s power grew, they also judged cases involving
noncitizens.
suspicious
Central to the Roman Republic was a deep mistrust of total rule by any
one man, and so a series of checks and balances were established. Each
assembly and each office had the power of veto over another, and they were
consider
able to effectively block any decision deemed unpopular or dangerous. The
man chosen by plebeians
most powerful veto was given to the tribune of the plebs, a powerful office
designed to protect the plebeians from the Senate. Although checks and
important
balances were seen as crucial to maintaining order, the power of veto often
 power to make laws
stood in the way of legislative progress. Class struggle and mistrust
dominated the Roman Republic throughout its existence.
long lasting
Possibly the most enduring legacy of the Roman Republic was its
system of law. The Romans were the first to establish concepts of natural
law, or universal law, ensuring that all Roman citizens, and by extension all
people, had some basic rights. Many of these Roman standards of justice
assumed innocent unless proven guilty
endure today, including the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair
trial.
Ultimately, the Roman Republic collapsed because of the ambitions of a
victorious (trai·uhm·fnt)
few people. Rome was driven by conquest, and triumphant generals were
considered celebrities in their own right. Some were able to use their fame
to gain greater political power. One such general, Julius Caesar, was able to
make use of
exploit his popularity to make himself dictator in 47 BC. Although the
position of dictator was meant to be used only in emergencies, Caesar
declared his appointment for life. Knowing that to maintain power he had to
keep the plebeians happy, Caesar gavefeeling
land and money to the poor while
unfair
weakening the power of the Senate. Resentful of his growing power and
determined to restore the Republic, a group of senators assassinated Caesar
in 44 BC. More than a decade of civil war followed. Eventually, Julius
Caesar’s grandnephew, Octavian, became the first emperor of Rome. The
Republic would never return again.

EXERCISE 3

The Roman Republic

Directions: Read the passage and then answer the questions that follow.
Polybius (puh LIH bee uhs) was an ancient Greek historian best
known for writing about the Roman Republic in his work The
Histories. In Book 6 of The Histories, Polybius describes the structure
of the Roman government as a balance of interests between the
consuls, the Roman Senate, and the plebeians’ assemblies and
tree-bunee
officials, known as tribunes. He outlined how each part of the
government had ways to check, or limit, the powers of the other two
 parts. For example, the Senate had the power to pass laws, but the
people’s assembly had the power to approve or reject laws. The
consuls had the power to direct the government and the army, but
consuls were limited to a one-year term and each consul had the
power to veto the actions of the other. While the consuls could
command the army, only the people’s assembly and tribunes had the
power to decide to go to war, and only the Senate had the power to
person who makes frames
fund the military. Polybius’s work would later influence the framers of
representative
the US Constitution. Several of the delegates at the Constitutional
Convention, including James Madison, were familiar with Polybius
and had studied The Histories. The system of checks and balances that
the framers built into the Constitution was based in part on Polybius’s
analysis of the structure of the Roman government.
1.   Based on the passage, which statement BEST supports the conclusion
that the structure of Roman government influenced the framers of the
US Constitution?
A.   James Madison studied The Histories.
B.   The framers outlined a system of checks and balances in the
Constitution.
C.   Polybius described checks and balances in Rome’s government.
D.   Roman senators had the power to pass laws.
request
2.   What evidence does the passage provide to support the claim that
Polybius’s work had an impact on the framers of the Constitution?
A.   Polybius invented the Roman Republic’s system of checks and
balances.
B.   The framers rejected the idea of a system of checks and balances.
general description
C.   Polybius outlined the structure of the Roman government.
D.   Several framers had studied The Histories.
3.   In the US system of checks and balances, Congress checks the power
responsible for putting laws
of the executive branch by controlling taxes and spending. Based on
the passage, what feature of Roman government is MOST similar to
this check?
A.   The Senate had the power to pass laws.
B. Consuls were limited to one-year terms.
C. The Senate had the power to fund the military.
D. The consuls commanded the military.