A Republic Forms in Rome

Power point presentation created by Robert L. Martinez

Primary Content Source: Prentice Hall World HistoryImages as cited.

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Rome began as a small city-state in Italy but ended up ruling the entire Mediterranean world.

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The Italian peninsula looks like a boot, jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. The

peninsula is centrally located in the Mediterranean, and the city of Rome is in

the center of Italy.

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This location helped the Romans as they expanded. Because of its geography, Italy

was much easier to unify than Greece. Unlike Greece, Italy was not broken up

into small, isolated valleys.

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Italy also had the advantage of broad, fertile plains. These plains supported a growing population.

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The ancestors of the Romans, the Latins, migrated into Italy by about 800 B .C. For a time, the Etruscans ruled much of central Italy,

including Rome itself.

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The Romans adapted the Etruscan alphabet and the use of the arch in building and engineering techniques.

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The Romans drove out their Etruscan rulers in 509 B.C.E. This date is considered the beginning of the Roman state.

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The Romans set up a new government in which some officials were chosen by the people. They called it a republic. Romans thought, a

republic would keep any one individual from gaining too much power.

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The most powerful body of the republic was the senate. Its 300 members were all

patricians, the landowning upper class. The senate elected to consuls to supervise the

business of the government and command of the armies. They to serve only one term.

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In the event of war, the senate might choose a dictator, who had complete control over the government. Each term was limited to

six months.

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Cincinnatus was seen as a model dictator. He organized the army, led the Romans to victory

over the attacking enemy, attended victory celebrations, and returned to his farmlands –

all within 16 days.

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Plebeians, the farmers, merchants, artisans, and traders who made up the bulk of the

population, had little influence in government. Their efforts to share power shaped politics in

the early republic.

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Plebeians had argued that the republic’s laws were not written down and accessible to all. The Laws of the Twelve Tables set up in the Forum (marketplace) made it possible for

plebeians to appeal judgments handed down from the patricians.

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Over time, the plebeians gained the right to elect their own officials , called tribunes, to protect their interests. The tribunes could

veto, or block, laws that they felt were harmful to plebeians. Eventually, plebeians were also

chosen as consuls to the Senate.

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As Rome’s political and social systems evolved at home, its armies expanded Roman power across Italy.

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Rome’s success was due to skillful diplomacy and to its loyal, well-trained army. The basic military unit was the legion, made up of

about 5,000 men.

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Roman armies consisted of citizen-soldiers who fought without pay and supplied their own weapons. Roman citizens made good soldiers because they were brought up to value loyalty, courage, and respect for authority.

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To ensure success, Roman commanders mixed rewards with harsh punishment. Young soldiers who showed courage in action won praise and gifts. If a unit fled from battle, however, 1 out of every 10 men from the disgraced unit was

put to death.

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Rome generally treated defeated enemies with justice. Conquered peoples had to

acknowledge Roman leadership, pay taxes, and supply soldiers for the Roman army. In

return, Rome let them keep their own customs, money, and local government.

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To a few privileged groups among the conquered people, Rome gave the highly prized right of full citizenship. As a result

of such generous policies, most conquered lands remained loyal to Rome.

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To protect its conquests, Rome posted soldiers throughout the land. It built a

network of all-weather military roads to link distant territories to Rome.

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As trade and travel increased, local peoples incorporated Latin into their languages and adopted many Roman

customs and beliefs. Slowly, Italy began to unite under Roman rule.

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