Roman Government

Roman Government

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Being a roman citizen in the ancient roman empire was acquired by birth which was conditioned that both parents were Romans. The citizenship issue over many centuries was a point of debate as it was changed over time on could be a citizen or not. Common people known as plebeians for a while in Rome were not recognized as citizens thus missing out on the politically and social privileges that were accorded to citizens. During this time the patricians normally recognized as the landowners, the wealthy and those of noble class were citizens. The law changed accommodating children born in Rome and kept being adjusted so as people could apply for citizenship as well as suit the time. The Rome government was developed and formed by the government as a form of a republic that shifted from monarchy to representation. It emerged after the overthrowing of the Roman kingdom doing away with kings. This form of government allowed people to elect officials who could represent them. The roman government model was adopted by many countries and just like the united states, the branches of the roman empire are divided into three which is the legislative, executive and judicial. The grant of citizenship meant individuals would live under the laws that were vested by the government.

In ancient Rome, the legislature was the senate, this was the most powerful branch of the roman republic that consisted of 300 citizens that were from the patrician class in Rome (PowerPoint). In the early Rome republican, the patricians monopolized all the power and they held the positions for life. The plebeian legislative assembly had barred the plebeians from holding all political and religious offices that were reserved for the oldest and wealthiest families in Rome as the plebeians were sent to serve in the army. The poor and middle class had struggles for orders as they served in the army but had no say or little say in the government (Becker, Roman Govern PowerPoint). They moved their settlement which made the rich to realize that they needed the common people. This ensures that in the plebeians’ assembly the common people secured the passage right of law-making, a decision that was binding on all Romans without approval from the senate (PowerPoint). The plebian assembly in 3rd c. B.C became powerful as it was able to elect consul’s, elected magistrates to the court of appeals as well as sat in as law courts in limited instances. They decided war and peace well as had the power of being the final authority (Becker, Roman Govern PowerPoint). The legislature had the centuriate assembly that was one of the voting assemblies that mostly comprised of soldiers. It was referred to as the centuriate as divided the citizens in groups of hundreds and according to their class. The executive branch of the government was made up of two consuls that were usually elected after a year. The consuls had absolute power as their authority was almost similar to that of t the kings and each consul could veto the decision of the other. In the late republic of Rome, the consuls were from both the plebeians and patricians’ groups, they controlled the military (Garnsey, pg. 112). They had the power of the imperium that gave the right to issue commands and administer a punishment that was either corporal or capital with use of fasces. The Rome constitution provided for the proconsulship that was invoked to extend the term of the consul in the office during war times (Becker, Roman Govern PowerPoint).

The judicial branch had praetors who were elected by centuriate assembly and acted as judges for a year. The praetors were the judicial officers were eight in number, two of these eight judges were tasked with supervising the criminal and civil courts. The laws roman we live by as Roman citizens had a law list developed in the early republic that included the Porcian laws that stated that a Roman citizen could not be tortured or whipped. Unless found guilty of treason

roman citizen would commute sentences of death to voluntary exile. The plebeians had pressured the senate to develop and have written laws that were posted in a forum. These were the twelve tables or stone tablets posted in a forum for all citizens to see. The laws before being written were changed by patricians for their own benefits. A specific example of a law that citizens live by is such as Licinian law that required and instituted that one consul must be elected from the Plebian class.

The model of the roman republican government was adopted by many countries with the arms and branches f government that required officials to be elected for a limited term in office included the legislature, executive and judicial branch. The citizens of Rome adhered to written rules that ought to be followed to the letter with an option of corporal or capital punishment for offenders even though the laws were changed to protect the citizens. That was through even the tribunes.

Bibliography

Becker, PowerPoint

Garnsey, Peter, and Richard Saller. The Roman Empire: economy, society and culture. Univ of California Press, 2014.