Daily 26

The Struggle of the Orders was very influential on the future of Roman politics. Before this occurred, the patricians, or higher class citizens of Rome, held almost all the government positions in the Senate and had the ability to enforce laws. The plebeians, which were most of the common people of society, virtually had no opinion in the government and were treated unfairly for many years. After many years of patrician rule and the oppression of the plebeians, the plebeians finally decided that the rule of patricians was over. This is when the Struggle of the Orders took place. The plebeians wanted to have power and freedom in society and wanted their opinions to be heard. The Struggle of the Orders lasted for a pretty long time and was not like the patricians and plebeians were fighting each other. Rather, the two sides tried to make an agreement for the plebeians and they argued about what should happen. The Struggle of the Orders finally ended when the two sides made a compromise that would change Roman government forever. The decision was for the plebeians as a group to decide and vote for one single person to represent them in the Senate. This person was known as the Tribune of the Plebs. This person represented all of the plebeians and had one major power: the power to veto. This meant that the patricians could make up any legislation they wanted but it all depended on what this one person thought. This idea helped the plebeians of society voice their opinion about laws in the government and could tell the Tribune of the Plebs if they thought the laws were appropriate and would benefit society. The plebeians slowly began to gain more rights as the years went on and the government was practically led by the people. This gave way to peace between the two sides and the Struggle of the Orders would help the Senate prosper for many years.