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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. The grievances of the poor plebeians 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 political power by monopolising the seats of the senate and the consulship (the office of the two annually elected heads of the Republic).

The rich plebeians used the agitations of the plebeian movement to fight for power-sharing with the patricians and to gain access to the consulship and other offices of state which were created as the Republic developed and to the seats of the senate. They achieved this and were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy. They also were given equite (cavalryman) status. The equites were the second highest rank of Roman society. At this point the rich plebeians turned their back on the poor, whose economic grievances were never addressed properly.

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Q: How did plebeians gain power in the republic and what were they responsible for?
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How did plebeians gain power in the republic?

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. The grievances of the poor plebeians 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 political power by monopolising the seats of the senate and the consulship (the office of the two annually elected heads of the Republic). The rich plebeians used the agitations of the plebeian movement to fight for power-sharing with the patricians and to gain access to the consulship and other offices of state which were created as the Republic developed and to the seats of the senate. They achieved this and were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy. They also were given equite (cavalryman) status. The equites were the second highest rank of Roman society. At this point the rich plebeians turned their back on the poor, whose economic grievances were never addressed properly.


How did plebeians eventually gain a larger role in the roman republic?

The plebeians gained their political rights by civil unrest and work stoppage. The patricians soon realized that they needed the plebeians not only for their work, but for their bodies in the army. So they granted them a couple of tribunes to look after their interests.


How did Plebeians gain power in Rome?

The plebeians were commoners; that is, non-patricians. The patricians were the aristocracy. The poor plebeians rebelled and created the plebeian movement to fight for their economic grievances which came form their poverty. They created their leaders, the plebeian tribunes. The leaders were rich plebeians who had the education needed to lead a movement. The rich plebeians used the agitation of the plebeian movement for political self-promotion. They demanded access to the offices of state and eventually they succeeded in gaining access to all of them, including the top one, the consulship. Besides using the agitation of the plebeian movement, the rich plebeians also were supported by liberal patricians who favoured the change (conservative ones opposed it). At the end of this process the rich plebeians were co-opted into a patrician-(rich) plebeian oligarchy , and were included in the equite (cavalrymen) rank, which was turned into the lower the of the nobility. At this point the rich plebeians turned their back on the poor plebeians. The conflict between patricians and plebeians had been called the conflict of the orders. Writings of this conflict usually focuses on the process of gaining access to the offices of state. However, it should be remembered that the plebeian movement was meant to be concerned about the economic plight of the poor and that this was never addressed properly.


How did the plebeians eventually gain a larger role in the the roman republic?

The plebians revolted until a tribune was created in which they could elect their own representatives.The Struggle of the Orders was a fight for political equality with the Patricians. While Rome was a war, all of the Plebeians left the city in secession and created the office of the Plebeian Tribune. This was the first real power the Plebeians had ever had. They wanted full power in the Senate, but a small group of Patricio-Plebeian aristocrats continued to hold the means to control the Plebeian council. Since this aristocracy was based on societal structure it needed to be overthrown by revolution. This was done when Caesar crossed the Rubicon and began a civil war that changed the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.After a couple of secessions (that is they withdrew from the city, and refused to fight) they progressively gained some concessions in office-holding and Senate membership from the Patricians who controlled the magistracies, priesthoods and law courts. They then hit on the idea of a Plebeian Assembly from which the Patricians were excluded. Here they produced laws, and elected Tribunes of the Plebs, who had immunity, could introduce and veto laws in the Senate, and became senators (which each year further diluted the Patrician proportion in the Senate).


What was the reason the patricians want to prevent plebeians from holding important positions?

Not all patricians were opposed to this. The conservative patricians opposed it. The liberal patricians supported it. This support helped the rich plebeians to eventually gain access to all offices of state and the priesthoods, which had been exclusively patrician. During the early republic, the patricians established themselves as a ruling class through a monopoly over the consulship and the senate. They were an aristocracy and considered themselves superior to the plebeians (commoners). They saw being in power as a privilege by birth right. Moreover, the plebeian movement started as a rebellion against the patrician-dominated state when their demands for addressing the worse aspect through which the patricians exploited poor plebeians were rejected. The patricians saw the plebeian economic grievances and demands as a threat to their profits, exploitative practices, and privilege. They also saw the rebellion as an attempt to subvert the Romans state. Eventually, with the help of the liberal patricians the rich plebeians, who were the leaders of the constantly agitating plebeian movement, were co-opted into what became a patrician-plebeian oligarchy and the rich plebeians turned their backs on the poor plebeians who had been the driving force of the plebeian movement.

Related questions

How did plebeians gain power on the republic?

The plebians gained power by going on strike.


Plebeians gain larger role in roman republic?

Yes, progressively.


What did the plebeians gain rebelling?

The plebeians gained political power sharing with the patricians.


Who let the plebeians gain more power?

The Patricians


How did plebeians gain power in the republic?

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. The grievances of the poor plebeians 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 political power by monopolising the seats of the senate and the consulship (the office of the two annually elected heads of the Republic). The rich plebeians used the agitations of the plebeian movement to fight for power-sharing with the patricians and to gain access to the consulship and other offices of state which were created as the Republic developed and to the seats of the senate. They achieved this and were co-opted into a patrician-plebeian oligarchy. They also were given equite (cavalryman) status. The equites were the second highest rank of Roman society. At this point the rich plebeians turned their back on the poor, whose economic grievances were never addressed properly.


How did the plebeians gain the right to vote and hold political office in Roman Republic?

They threatened to leave Rome and build a new city.


How did the plebeians gain a larger role in the Roman republic?

The plebeians gained their political rights by civil unrest and work stoppage. The patricians soon realized that they needed the plebeians not only for their work, but for their bodies in the army. So they granted them a couple of tribunes to look after their interests.


How did plebeians eventually gain a larger role in the roman republic?

The plebeians gained their political rights by civil unrest and work stoppage. The patricians soon realized that they needed the plebeians not only for their work, but for their bodies in the army. So they granted them a couple of tribunes to look after their interests.


How did the plebeians eventualli gain a larger role in the roman republic?

The plebeians gained their political rights by civil unrest and work stoppage. The patricians soon realized that they needed the plebeians not only for their work, but for their bodies in the army. So they granted them a couple of tribunes to look after their interests.


How the plebeians eventually gain larger role in the roman republic?

The plebeians gained their political rights by civil unrest and work stoppage. The patricians soon realized that they needed the plebeians not only for their work, but for their bodies in the army. So they granted them a couple of tribunes to look after their interests.


How did the plebeians eventuality gain a larger role in the Roman republic?

The plebeians gained their political rights by civil unrest and work stoppage. The patricians soon realized that they needed the plebeians not only for their work, but for their bodies in the army. So they granted them a couple of tribunes to look after their interests.


How did the Romans treat the senators?

The senators were members of the aristocracy and the wealthy entrepreneurial elites. Therefore, they were treated with the respect due to the top layers of society. There were, however, times of conflict with the senators. One of these was by rich plebeians during the Conflict of the Orders (between patricians and plebeians) of the early Republic in which the rich plebeians fought to gain access to the senate and the consulship (the office of heads of the Republic) which were monopolised by the patrician aristocracy. They eventually succeeded in gaining power-sharing Poor plebeians were often in conflict with the senators through most of the republican period. Poor plebeians often fought for reforms which would relieve the poor and which were opposed by the senators. After the Republic these was at times conflict between the emperor and the senator.