The Rise of the Roman Empire (Episode 30): Attempts to Reform the Gracas Brothers
The decline of the Roman social and political system began in the middle of the second century BC. As the republic expanded, so did its treasury. But its benefits were limited to a certain class of society. Ordinary Roman citizens remained deprived. As a result, the anger between them gradually increased.
★Roman political conflict
The main source of political and economic power was the Roman Senate, which was composed mainly of Patrician families. In the early days of the republic, they supplied cavalry to the Roman army. Gradually other wealthy Roman citizens outside the Senate also joined the cavalry. One of their advantages was that they could engage in trade and commerce after leaving the army.
It was impossible for senators to engage in lucrative work under state law. As a result, a wealthy elite group was formed outside the Patrician families included in the Senate. These were called equit. The Senate and the Equities formed a conservative group, the Optimates. Most of the war money would go to them.
In addition, although there was a law to distribute the land occupied by the Romans among the citizens, the optimists were giving him the thumbs up and taking possession of most of the land. As a result, the amount of their wealth was gradually increasing. Using their own money and power, they also began to buy their small agricultural lands from ordinary Roman citizens. Optimists use their ability to buy lots of slaves.They were employed to cultivate and care for the land, so that ordinary Roman citizens lost the opportunity to work alongside the land. Optimists believed in an aristocratic Roman republic. They thought that only their leadership would ensure the prosperity and stability of the Roman Republic, and that is why they were the main claimants of its dividend.
In contrast to the Optimists, some aristocratic families were vocal in demanding the protection of the interests of the Roman commoners. These were popular groups. They called for an increase in the privileges of the Roman citizens and for the equitable distribution of state-owned land. The rise of this group is in the hands of the Gracas brothers. They bypassed the Senate and began a power game centered on the Republican main legislative body, the Plebian Council.
The Plebian Council was formed on behalf of all the citizens of Rome. So there was an opportunity to pass various popular laws by using it. Although their motives seem to be in the public interest, many historians believe that their goal was to increase their influence by using the common Roman people.
The confrontation between the two sides created chronic unrest in Roman society. Their violent fights often turned violent, pushing the republic to the brink of collapse.