The political system

Social classes

• Patricians - Top of society and around 30 families, whealth from land.
• Equites - Very wealthy merchants.
• Plebs - Lowest class and 95% of population.
• The higher the man the greater his duty to look after those below him.

The Senate

• Made up of 200-300, usually patricians but equites and plebs could be senators.
• To be a senator had to be elected to junior office of quaestor.
• Was an advisory body, did not pass laws.
• Laws proposed by Consuls or tribunes and voted upon by the people in assemblies.
• Senates advice usually followed.
• Was the only permanante body in  the rulling of Rome
• Stopped individuals gaining to much power.

The Magistrates/Cursus Honorum

• Senators could be elected by the people as a Questor, Aedile, Tribune, Praetor and Consul.
• Consulx2 - Cheif officials of Republic who commanded the army and handled national and foreign affairs. Gained imperium after a year and become a governor/proconsul.(Age 42)
• Praetorsx8 - Judical/law officials, second to Consuls. Could become propraetors/govoners, could have imperium.(Age 39)
• Aedilesx4 - In charge of water and corn supplys aswell as organization of games.(Age 36)
• Quaestorsx20 - Assisted Consuls and supervised state finance.(Age 30)
• Tribune - The office for plebs, 10 elected each year and had the right to Veto.
• Censor - Was an ex Consul and older member of the senate who organised elections.
• Dictatorship - In a time of crisis, the Senate could appoint a dictator for six months who had complete controll of millitary and civil affairs.
• The Lex Villa Annalis - Set the minimum age limits and stated that you had to be in Rome to be elected aswell as not having consecutive Consulships.

Importance of tribunes

• Officials elected by the people with power to prevent any action by the state that was percieved to be against the plebians.
• Can Veto(rejecting a decision or proposal) any polotician except a dictator.
• Peoples assemblys had power to pass laws
• Populares senators used tribunes to pass measures through assemblys without suport of the Senate.
• Sulla abolished the right to Veto and barred them from future political office.
• Reversed after Sulla's death by Pompey and Crassus as Consuls.
• 67BC tribune Gabinius secured Popmpey's command against the pirates
• 66BC tribune Manilius secured Pompey's command against the Mithridates.
• 59BC Vatinius proposed bills granting Caesar Cisalpine Gaul and ratifying Pompey's eastern settlement.
• 49BC Anthonys SCU against Ceasar ignored by Senate.
• 43BC Titius proposed 2nd triumvirate.

Optimates and Populares 

• Were no political parties but we can categorize senators as either Populares or Optimates.
• Optimates belived in the power of the Senate and did not want the plebs to gain more power.
• Populares in favour of the people and used them aswell as the army to increase their power in the state.

The Popular Assemblies

• Comitia Centuriata - Elected magistrates with impeerium.
• Comitia Tributa - Elected lesser magistrates.
• Consilium Plebis - elected Tribunes.

The Gracchi

• Tiberius and Gaius as Tribunes recommended land reforms and were murderd by the Senate.
• Showed that Tribunes could propose laws wich benefited the people and themselves.