1. Government of the Roman
Republic

2. The Beginning
 The Roman patricians wanted
more power and didn’t want to be
ruled by the Etruscan kings
 Kings were helping the plebeians
 Patricians promised to give the
plebeians power in the new
government if they would help
overthrow the kings
 509BC: The patricians and
plebeians worked together to
overthrow the kings

3. Representative vs. Direct
Democracy
 Direct Democracy: citizens vote
directly on the laws
◦ Example?
 Representative Democracy:
citizens vote for leaders who make
decisions for them (often more
efficient)
◦ Example?
 Republic: a type of government in
which citizens who have the right to
vote select their leaders
◦ Example?

4. Birth of the Republic
Once in power, the patricians
didn’t give the plebeians power
as they had promised
494BC: The plebeians went on
strike
Patricians gave the poor men the
right to vote
Plebs would gain further rights
over the next several hundred
years

5. Overview of the Roman
Government
 Representative
democracy
◦ Elected officials
were called
magistrates, but
there were many
different types of
magistrates
 Tripartite
◦ Magistrates
◦ Senate
◦ Assemblies and
Tribunes

6. Magistrates
 2 consuls were the most
powerful and ran the
government
 Patricians only, later
changed to one patrician
and one plebeian
 Could only serve for one
year
 Could veto each other
 With the Senate, consuls
could appoint an dictator in
an emergency
◦ Could only serve for 6

7. The Senate
 300 patricians
(later allowed
plebs)
 Served for life
 Advised the
consuls
 Passed laws

8. Assemblies and Tribunes
 Assemblies: elected magistrates
and made of plebeians and patricians
 Council of Tribunes:
◦ Set up in 471BC after the plebs
demanded more rights
◦ Plebeians elected members by voting
◦ Members called tribunes
◦ Could veto actions and laws by the
Senate
◦ Served for only 1 year
 Most democratic branch
of the government
◦ Why?

9. Plebeians Gain Rights
 471 BC: Council of
Tribunes set up (tribunes)
 455 BC: Plebs allowed to
marry patricians
 451BC: Twelve Tables -
laws were written down and
posted in public
 367 BC: Plebs allowed to
become consuls
 287 BC: Plebs could now
pass laws for all Roman
citizens, not just other
plebeians

10. Citizenship
 Both men and women
 Could run for government positions
 Different levels based on wealth/lineage meant
different rights
◦ Full citizen: free, landowning men, over age 15
 Rights: vote, marry free persons (not slaves), could
buy/sell/trade goods, hold public office
◦ Partial 1: women couldn’t vote or hold public office but
could own property and engage in trade
◦ Partial 2: could vote and trade, but couldn’t hold office
or marry free women (freed slaves, conquered
people, criminals)
 Citizens wore white togas to show they were not
slaves
◦ Purple togas in the Empire

11. Civic Duty
Duty to help city prosper through
government
Attend assembly meetings and
vote
Wealthy: hold office and run city

12. Checks and Balances
Methods to balance power in
government
Government officials held power
over other government officials
◦ Ex: veto power of consuls and
Council of Tribunes
Complicated government

13. Law of the Twelve Tables
 Only patricians knew laws
 Plebeians could break laws they
didn’t know about
 Plebs demanded laws be written
down
 450 BC: Law of the Twelve Tables
created
 Laws were written on twelve bronze
tables (tablets) and posted in the
Forum
◦ Roman Forum: meeting place that
included important buildings, temples