How was equality given to the plebeians?

Answer 1

The plebeians never really achieved equality. The rich plebeians fought for access to the office of the consuls (the two annually elected heads of the republic) and the other offices of state which were created as the republic developed. They eventually succeeded and obtained power-sharing with the patricians. They were also given the status of equite (equestrian), the second highest rank in Roman society. The poor plebeians, instead, just remained poor and socially inferior.

It was the result of a struggle between patricians and plebeians which lasted 200 years. It has been termed the Conflict of the Orders. The patrician aristocracy had monopolised power through what has been called the 'closing of the patriciate': it closed its ranks and excluded other elites. The conflict started with a rebellion by the poor plebeians when the patrician-controlled state refused to meet their demand to address the abuse of debt defaulters by creditors. The poor formed the plebeian movement to fight for the economic grievances of the poor. The rich plebeians, who were educated, became the leaders of the movement and used it to gain access to power. Eventually, despite bitter patrician resistance, they succeeded through many agitations and gained access to the offices of state, the senate and some priesthoods.

The rich plebeians were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy and shared power. The patrician-plebeian distinction with respect to rich plebeians, become politically irrelevant. However, a distinction of rank was maintained. The rich plebeians were given equite (cavalryman status) which was the lower order of the aristocracy. The patricians remained the higher order.

It is important to be aware that this process involved only the rich plebeians. The poor plebeians, despite having been the driving force of the plebeian movement, just remained poor and their economic grievances were not addressed properly. When the rich plebeians obtained power-sharing and noble status, they turned their back on the poor. Later on, in the Late Republic, the economic plight of the poor (which was becoming worse) re-emerged as a political hot potato. A new breed of politician sympathetic to the plight of the poor emerged and assumed leadership of the (poor) plebeian movement which became militant again.

The plebeians rioted and so the patricians had to give into one of the plebeians main requests. Therefore, the Laws of Twelve Tables were created and hung up in the angora for all to see. On it were twelve laws that applied to both plebeians (the common people) and patricians (the wealthy and upper class). In actuality, the plebeians and patricians never became complete equals.