Week 5: Daily #2

Question: How was the Struggle of the Orders influential on later Roman politics?

The Struggle of the Orders fought to make the Plebeians politically equal with the Patricians. In the early 400s B.C., the Patricians were the most well-known people in society. They had most of the wealth in Ancient Rome at this time and they lived in luxurious palaces. They were the aristocrats in society. On the other hand, you had the Plebeians. The Plebeians were the “rest of society” and were made up of the common and regular people in society. But in society, the Patricians had all of the power and they only used it for themselves. Patricians also made up the whole political office, at first. But over time, the Plebeians got sick and tired of the Patricians having all of the power. The Plebeians then argued with the Patricians because they wanted to be represented in the Roman Senate. So after long periods of arguing, the Struggle of the Orders finally gave the Plebeians a spot in the political office. This position was called the Tribune of the Plebs, where one Plebeian represented all of the Plebeians in the Roman Senate. But this position was even more important because this one Plebeian had the deciding power in the Senate. So if the Plebeian did not agree with a bill from the Patricians, he could turn it down immediately. The Tribune of the Plebs helped all of the Plebeians in Ancient Rome get politically equal with the Patricians. This helped the Patricians show more respect for the Plebeians because after all, they had the deciding power in the government. So this is how the Struggle of the Orders helped shape Roman politics in the future with the Plebeians and Patricians being equal in the political aspect of life.