The Roman “Struggle of the Orders”, Essay Example

In 509 BC Rome operated as a republic. Rome was ruled by its Senate and its assembly and Rome’s traditions and laws were based heavily on the preceding monarchy form of government. At the top of the republic government was, in order of importance, two consuls, two quaestors, a praetor, and censors. These positions and those of the Senate were held exclusively by members of the patrician class, the wealthiest of Rome. Plebeian’s, or those from the lower classes, resented the patrician dominance in all areas of Roman life. In 494 BC, the plebeians withdrew from Rome and occupied an area known as the Sacred Mount, where they declared their own government and veto power of Senate law. This conflict was called the “struggle of orders” and the plebeian’s aim was to achieve social and political equality.

This move threatened the patrician way of life. Plebeian’s supplied everything from food and clothes to soldiers for the Roman army. Without the plebeian’s cooperation, Roman society could be effectively shut down and left vulnerable to military conquest from outsiders. In 450 BC, the Law of Twelve Tables was formalized. The Law of Twelve Tables laid out Roman law and its constitution so it was clear just where everyone stood concerning the law. In 445 BC, marriage between plebeians and patricians became legal and in 367 BC, plebeians gained the right to be elected to the position of consul. Since the consul was required to serve in the Senate after leaving the consul position, this effectively ended the patrician’s sole claim to the Senate. The plebeian assembly, established when the plebeians segregated from Rome, became a recognized decision making establishment for all Romans in 287 BC. This last was the greatest victory in terms of affect plebeians could have on the laws and regulations of Roman society.

Did the “struggle of the orders” lead to Rome becoming a democracy? There were many democratic principles at work, such as representatives elected by a body of citizens and an elected group that could make decisions binding on all Romans. However, even though all governmental offices could be held by either a patrician or a plebeian, the distribution of power among consuls, censors, the Senate, and the assembly was not even. For example, a censor could dismiss any member of the senate for basically any reason whatever, making the security of representation a tenuous thing. For this reason, the “struggle of orders” did not bring about a true democracy, though it improved greatly on the Roman Republic.

Bibliography

Google. Definitions of Democracy. 2010. 08 October 2010 <http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&defl=en&q=define:democracy&sa=X&ei=R2ivTN3nPIrJnAegieXzBQ&ved=0CBoQkAE>.

Hooker, Richard. Rome: The Roman Republic. 06 June 1999. 08 October 2010 <http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/Rome/Republic.Htm>.