The Romans did not have a written constitution. Their political institutions evolved over time. The Republic replaced the king with two annually elected consuls as heads of the republic and the army. Having two men in charge meant that they could counterbalance each other. The short term of office meant that no one could concentrate power in their hands. Apart from this, the Republic retained the institutions of the monarchy.
The unelected senate remained an advisory body, but for the consuls instead of the king. The Assembly of the Soldiers and the Assembly of the Tribes were retained as the voting bodies.
The Conflict of the Orders between patricians (the aristocracy) and plebeians (the commoners, both rich and poor) had two strands. It started with a rebellion of the poor plebeians whose grievances were economic, primarily indebtedness, the interest rates of loans and insufficient land for the peasants. The rich plebeians became the leaders of the movement and also had another agenda: power-sharing with the patricians. The patricians monopolised the seats of the senate and the consulship.
Over time the rich plebeians obtained access to the consulship and other offices of state which had been created in the meantime. Through this they also gained access to the senate as former senior officers of state automatically gained a seat in the senate. They also gained access to some of the priesthoods. Thus the rich plebeians were co-opted into a patrician-plebeians oligarchy. They also were given equite (cavalryman) status. The equites were the second highest layer of society. At this point the rich plebeians turned their back on the poor, whose problems were never addressed properly.
The main struggle of the orders' central conflict was war.
It was the Conflict of the Orders between the patricians (the aristocrats) and the plebeians (the commoners)
In ancient Rome, patricians and plebeians were distinct social classes, with patricians being the aristocratic elite and plebeians comprising the common people. Initially, patricians held most political power, but over time, plebeians fought for and gained more rights, leading to a series of conflicts known as the Conflict of the Orders. This struggle resulted in the establishment of the Tribune of the Plebs and the creation of laws that granted plebeians greater representation and influence in government, allowing for a gradual sharing of power. Ultimately, while patricians retained significant authority, plebeians achieved a more substantial role in the political landscape of Rome.
The patricians were the aristocracy and the plebeians were the commoners (all non-patrician) both rich and poor. In the Early Roman Republic the patricians monoplosised power. All the consuls (the two annually elected heads of the city and the army and the senators were patricians). There was a 200-year long Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians where the rich plebeians fought for power-sharing with the patricians. They obtained this and they were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy.
Social classes in Rome were called orders. The patricians were the aristocracy. The plebeians were the commoners (all non-patricians, both rich and poor). In the Early Republic, the plebeians fought the patricians in the 200-year conflict of the Orders. The poor plebeians fought for their economic grievances. The rich plebeians, who led the plebeian movement, also fought for power sharing with the patricians, who monopolised it. Eventually, the rich plebeians obtained power sharing and were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy. These rich plebeians were given equite (cavalryman) status. The equites were the second highest ranking order in Roman society. At this point the rich plebeians turned the back on the poor, whose economic issues were never addressed properly and remained plebeians.
The war between the patricians and the plebeians was/is called "the Conflict of the Orders"
No the conflicts between patricians and plebeians did not lead to civil wars. The Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians ended in the mid-3rd century BC. The Roman civil wars stared in the 1st century BC. The civil wars involved a conflict between the populares, a political faction which supported the cause of the poor, and the optimates, a conservative political faction which supported the interests of the aristocracy. They also involved personal rivalries.
Plebeians had to fight in the army as Rome expanded. Many plebeians refused to join the army because the patricians had more freedom in Rome. This caused a conflict between the patricians and the plebeians.
The conflict of the orders between patricians and plebeians
It was a political struggle between the Plebeians (commoners) and Patricians (aristocrats) in the Roman Republic 494 to 287 BCE, with the Plebeians pursuing political equality with the Patricians.
The main struggle of the orders' central conflict was war.
The plebeians were the commoners. In the early republic the concern of the rich plebeians was to attain power-sharing with the patricians (the aristocrats) who monopolised political power . They achieved this in the 20-year Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians. The concerns of the poor plebeians were economic: indebtedness, the interest rates of loans and shortages of land for poor farmers.
It was the Conflict of the Orders between the patricians (the aristocrats) and the plebeians (the commoners)
In ancient Rome, patricians and plebeians were distinct social classes, with patricians being the aristocratic elite and plebeians comprising the common people. Initially, patricians held most political power, but over time, plebeians fought for and gained more rights, leading to a series of conflicts known as the Conflict of the Orders. This struggle resulted in the establishment of the Tribune of the Plebs and the creation of laws that granted plebeians greater representation and influence in government, allowing for a gradual sharing of power. Ultimately, while patricians retained significant authority, plebeians achieved a more substantial role in the political landscape of Rome.
The patricians were the aristocracy and the plebeians were the commoners (all non-patrician) both rich and poor. In the Early Roman Republic the patricians monoplosised power. All the consuls (the two annually elected heads of the city and the army and the senators were patricians). There was a 200-year long Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians where the rich plebeians fought for power-sharing with the patricians. They obtained this and they were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy.
The Conflict of the Orders, the 200-year struggle between patricians and plebeians, was over before Rome developed an empire.
The patricians (aristocrats) and plebeians(Commoners) had the same rights. Every Roman was equal before Roman law and all Roman citizens had the seem rights. In the Early Republic the patricians monopolised political power. The rich plebeians fought to obtain power-sharing and succeed in the conflict of the orders of the Early Republic.