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Social War

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Social War
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(90 – 89 BC) Rebellion waged by ancient Rome's Italian allies (Latin, socii). The allies in central and southern Italy had aided Rome in its wars, but they were denied the privileges of Roman citizenship. The people of central Italy's hills — the Marsi in the north and the Samnites in the south — organized a confederacy and began an uprising for independence, winning victories over Roman armies in the north and south. After Rome granted citizenship to those who had not revolted and those who would immediately lay down their arms, Italian interest in the struggle declined. Sulla defeated the weakened rebels in the south, and legislation was passed to unify Italy south of the Po River.

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US Military Dictionary: social war
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Home > Library > History, Politics & Society > US Military Dictionary

A war, generally a civil war, the cause of which can be attributed to competing social classes or to the need to adjust some inequality or dispute among citizens or groups of citizens.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Classical Literature Companion: Social War
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1. In Greek history, name given to the war (357–355 BC) between Athens on the one hand and Chios, Cos, Rhodes, and Byzantium on the other, all of which had revolted from Athens' second confederacy. At the end of the war the independence of the principal members of the League was recognized.

2. In Roman history, an uprising against Rome (90–88 BC) by its Italian allies (socii), most of whom were fighting to win Roman citizenship. From a military point of view the fighting was inconclusive, but the Romans conceded the main issue: full citizenship was granted to all Italians south of the Po. See SOCII below.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Social War
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Social War or Marsic War [Lat. socii=allies], 91B.C.-88 B.C., struggle brought on by demands of the Italian allies for the privileges of Roman citizenship. The allies had fought on the side of Rome and had helped establish Roman hegemony, but they did not have the rights of the Romans. Most Romans were greatly averse to sharing the citizenship, but Marcus Livius Drusus in 91 B.C. proposed laws granting it to the allies. He was murdered, and a coalition of the allies, chief among them the Marsi, arose in desperation, waged war against Rome, and planned an Italian federation. Led by Quintus Pompaedius Silo and Caius Papius Mutilus, they gained some success but could not overcome the power of Rome. The revolt died down only after Lucius Julius Caesar secured passage of a law (90 B.C.) granting citizenship to allies who had not joined the revolt and to those who laid down their arms immediately. The allies were divided, and the revolt ceased. Citizenship was soon given to all of them.

 
 

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Classical Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more