Roman Politics
Page 1 of 2 — The complex political structure of Rome was both effective and subject to a great deal of manipulation. Although this may seem like a contradiction, it was those qualities which made the Republic great that eventually led to its downfall.
The Roman government consisted of the Senate and a number of what we might call executive offices. These included the consuls, praetors, quaestors, aediles, and tribunes. The consuls were the heads of state of the Roman Republic, two of them elected every year. By allowing them to serve only a year, Rome sought to limit the power they could gain. Since the consuls were also the military heads of the Republic, it may seem absurd to have changed them every year, even in the middle of desperate wars, but by this method the Romans also ensured that they were never dependent on any one leader, that there was always someone ready to step up and take over.
The tribunes were quite unique. Originally created as a way to protect the rights of the plebians – the non-aristocrats who made up the overwhelming majority of the Roman population, they alone wielded the power of veto – the ability to overturn a piece of legislation proposed by the Senate or a magistrate (consul/praetor). Tribunes were often involved in the many political intrigues of the late Republic, and the veto was wielded in incredibly inappropriate ways on a fairly regular basis. Sulla tried to reduce their power as dictator, but it was later restored during the consulships of Pompey and Crassus (as a way to gain the favour of the masses).
The Senate was in fact officially an advisory body, but one that no Roman politician could afford to ignore (without an army at his back, that is). Most Roman officials served in the Senate before running for office, and also returned to it after their terms were over. The Senate was made up almost entirely of men from old aristocratic families, as well as the extremely rich, and a few (like Cicero) who got in because of their brilliance as orators (eloquence was prized above all else – except military victories, probably – in Roman leaders). Its numbers varied between 300 and 900 at different times.
The praetors were magistrates, and second in importance after the consuls. There were eight (originally just one; gradually expanded as more officials were needed to govern Rome’s expanding territory) of them. Quaestors were actually financial officials, but they also wielded a good deal of political power. It was often seen as a stepping-stone to higher office, as was the aedileship – the aediles being in charge of things like distributing grain to the poor, organizing games, and generally keeping the city of Rome organized. There was also the office of censor, held by two men every five years. Censors were immensely powerful as they could “reclassify” Roman citizens – change their official status (as patricians or plebians, for example), thereby removing them from the Senate or making them ineligible to run for certain offices.
Roman politics, above all, revolved around the concept of personal honor. The politicians who were most successful were those who came from the oldest families, those who had won the greatest military victories – or even those who had made the most eloquent speeches. The Roman public may have been poor and relatively powerless, but in the end it was their support that made or broke leaders – and the politicians knew it. Thus it can be seen that every great Roman leader was the most powerful right after achieving a military victory, when his popularity with the masses was at its heights, or after passing a piece of legislation that helped the common people. Continued...