Breakdown of the Roman Republican government after 287BC, Political


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Breakdown of the Roman Republican government after 287BC

Breakdown of the Roman Republican government after 287BC Senate- The Senate was the true seat of power in Rome. Senators were appointed for life, and voting was done by seniority. The Senators were responsible for ratifying laws which the general assemblies had passed, along with providing government appointments and appropriating government funds. The Senate also voted on other issues which concerned the city, and provided guidance. Because they held their positions for life, the Senators held immense power, and the other government leaders would pretty much do as they willed. Consuls- The Romans elected two consuls as chief executives every year who each had the ability to veto the other. These consuls were the commanders of the army, acted as judges, and summoned and proposed bills to the comitia centuriata. Comitia Centuriata- The comitia centuriata was a popular assembly which catered to the interested of the wealthy. Its system of voting revolved around a class structure where the wealthiest of citizens constituted a near majority, and the poorer classes rarely got an actual vote. It had the power to appoint magistrates and pass legislation. the comitia also served a judicial purpose. Plebian Council- The Plebian council was also a council dominated by wealthy landowners. The voting of the council was set up in tribes that were divvied into city and rural, and the votes were distributed so that the tribes of large landowners were given a much larger vote (31) than there fellow citizens in the city (4). The Plebian council had the ability to pass legislation, elect magistrates, and serve in judicial matters. Censors-There were two censors who were elected every five years by the comitia centuriata, and served for 18 months. They were responsible for determining the tax liability, military eligibility, and tribe assignments of the people. They could also add or remove people from the Senate, and arrange public contracts and spend public funds. Praetors- There were 2 or more praetors, and the office was open to patricians. One praetor was in charge of judicial matters inside the city. The other praetors were in charge of maintaining Roman authority in The Plebian Aedileship- There were two Aediles. They were in charge of things which would effect the daily life of an average citizen, such as running the plebian’s treasury, policing the markets, administering weights and measures, and monitoring food and water supplies. Plebian Tribal Council- The tribal council reorganized the voting in the Plebian council. It gave one vote to each tribe since not all farmers could get into town to vote. This council was still slanted to the wealthy Law of 12 Tables- The laws on the 12 tables, were codifications of the common laws existing around 450 BC They were written down on the tables by the decemvirs. The laws essentially gave in writing equality to Quaestors- There were four Quaestors. Two of the four Quaestors remained in the city and kept up the public treasury and went after tax offenders. The other two Quaestors followed the consuls to to the battlefield and were in charge of the Bibliography:

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