Daily #26

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


The Struggle of the Orders had an important influence on Roman politics.  Because the Patrician class was so desperate to hold on to power, the Plebeians had no say in the government.  A group of Plebeians  seceded to the Sacred Mount outside of Rome because they wanted a say in the government.  The Patrician class needed the Plebeians to supply the things that maintained the economy and Plebeians made up most of the army.  The Plebeians formed their own government and were keeping things that way until the Patricians let them have some say in the government.  The Patrician class agreed to let them have one representative in the Senate (the tribune of the Plebes).  The Plebeians agreed to this because their representative had the right to veto any act proposed by a member of the Senate.  Any person who harmed this representative could be killed by the Plebeians.  This event became known as the Struggle of the Orders.


Because the secession went so well the first time, the Plebeians seceded again; this time demanding for a group of ten men in the Senate.  The Patricians agreed, and even though the Plebeians had men in the Senate, the Patricians held much of the power.  The Senate became a powerful government force doing things like overseeing matters of war and peace, foreign alliances, state finances, founding colonies, and making laws.  This new Senate helped lessen the anger between the Plebeians and the Patricians.  As you can see, the Struggle of the Orders helped create a better life for the Plebeians and the government strengthened greatly because of it.


Source
http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php