Quotes
Quote:"But he who greatly excels in beauty, strength, birth, or wealth, or on the other hand who is very poor , or very weak, or very much disgraced, finds it difficult to follow rational principle" (Aristotle, Politics, Book 4, 4.11).
Interpretation: Politics were to be directed by those who had great beauty, strength, birth, and wealth and not of those who did not qualify.
Analysis: According to Aristotle, politics were to be run by the rich. This was because the Patricians possessed all of the positive qualities of life: education, wealth, and lineage. Aristotle believed that government was meant to be run by the upper class, or the superior people. The Patricians also had lineage of higher citizens in Rome, which the Plebeians did not. The Plebeians did not have education on the same level as the Patricians because they did not have the wealth the upper class did. The money they had went to necessities instead of learning. Aristotle also believed that without the education, the Plebeians were unable to be civilized in politics. This proved that it was important to be able to be rational when in a position of power and government in Rome. The Patricians and the Plebeians contrasted in possessive qualities in life and they also had different views based on these qualities, which the conflict of these two classes derived from.
Quote: "And afterwards, when he had at last become absolute in power, and was putting many to death, a freedman, who was thought to be concealing one of the proscribed, and was therefore to be thrown down the Tarpeian rock" (Plutarch, Life of Sulla, Book I).
Interpretation: When full control was achieved, the fearsome and vicious rule of Sulla began with the innocent death of a freedman.
Analysis:There was a large disparity between the Patricians and the Plebeians. This disparity was often violent. Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a Patrician, slayed a Plebeian for being a freedman. This exhibited the gory relationship of the two classes, as the Patricians believed that they were superior humans than Plebeians. Sulla was a man that eventually would be the ruler of Rome, and the influence of his violent past towards Plebeians impacted him as a leader. The time period he was in command, bloodshed was not uncommon. The hatred between the Plebeians and the Patricians carried itself over to the inside of the Patricians class. Sulla's bitterness in the direction of the Plebeians was strong, and it affected his nature towards the Populares in the Roman Civil War in 88-82 B.C.E. The relationship of the Optimates and Populares was violent as shown in the civil war between the two. Lucius Cornelius Sulla was violent in his politics whether it came to the Populares or the Plebeians which impacted his type of rule severely. There was a large disparity between the Patricians and the Plebeians. This disparity was often violent. Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a Patrician, slayed a Plebeian for being a freedman. This exhibited the gory relationship of the two classes, as the Patricians believed that they were superior humans than Plebeians. Sulla was a man that eventually would be the ruler of Rome, and the influence of his violent past towards Plebeians impacted him as a leader. The time period he was in command, bloodshed was not uncommon. The hatred between the Plebeians and the Patricians carried itself over to the inside of the Patricians class. Sulla's bitterness in the direction of the Plebeians was strong, and it affected his nature towards the Populares in the Roman Civil War in 88-82 B.C.E. The relationship of the Optimates and Populares was violent as shown in the civil war between the two. Lucius Cornelius Sulla was violent in his politics whether it came to the Populares or the Plebeians which impacted his type of rule severely.
Quote: "For the nobles will be dissatisfied because they think themselves worthy of more than an equal share of honors;" (Aristotle, Politics, Book 2, 2.7).
Interpretation: The upper class was unsettled due to the fact that they thought they were superior to the lower class and the privileges they possessed did not show it.
Analysis: The nobles, or the Patricians, believed they were entitled to more than those who were below them. The Patricians made up only five percent of the Roman population, and they demanded they were put on a pedestal above all others. Areas like taxes, political voice, and overall importances were what the Patricians demanded special treatment in as opposed to the Plebeians. The Plebeians made up ninety-five percent of the population in Rome, and they were unhappy when the Patricians were granted these privileges as the entire Republic started to become more and more corrupt. The conflict became treturous between the two classes as the Patricians themselves began to fight from within.The Optimates and Populares divided the already minority five percent, to two separate minorities that controlled the majority. This ripped the great Roman Republic to shreds without even stepping on the battlefield against an opposing empire.
Quote: "As the patricians saw that the plebeians were growing stronger, they resorted to a new plan to keep as much power as possible in their own hands. To do this, they created another new office, the censorship (B.C. 443), and transferred to the two censors some of the most important powers hitherto exercised by the consuls…" (William C. Morey, Outline of Roman History, Chapter IX).
Interpretation: Being the apart of the minority and the majority rapidly expanding, the Patricians did what they could to ensure their future in the government of Rome.
Analysis: After politics and government in Rome were restructured, the Patricians were suppressed in theirs say as the Plebeians were offered spots in the new consuls formed. This did not sit well with the Patricians as they made several attempts to regain their power previous to the realignment. Although the Patricians were already heavily outnumbered in population percentage, the Plebeians continued to grow, giving them more and more power in the government. In an effort to save themselves, the Patricians created a new office in which the most powerful responsibilities were transferred to. The Plebeians still did not stop gaining more rights but their say was limited by this. This escalated the conflict between the two classes because the Plebeians finally felt they were being treated as if they were Romans but the Patricians continued to deny them of this right.
Quote: "Another cause which kept the plebeians in as state of poverty was the unjust distribution of the public land (ager publicus) which had been acquired in war..." (William C. Morey, Outline of Roman History, Chapter VII).
Interpretation: Another reason why the plebeians remained poor was because of the unfair distribution of the land that was acquired through the war.
Analysis: Originally, the land was supposed to be distributed to all of the people, for it was valuable in the sense that it had the ability to relieve the poverty that existed between the plebeians. However, the patricians, who were in control of the government, distributed the land as they saw fit, and gave it among themselves. This displayed how the patricians had complete control over the government, and how the plebeians had no political power at that time. The patricians possessed both political and economical superiority, which made them a higher social class. The plebeians were treated unfairly, but had no power at that time. The patricians were only concerned with their own welfare, and were completely indifferent towards the state of poverty the plebeians were in, but instead treated them unfairly.
Quote: "The sorest burden which now rested upon the plebeians was the harsh law of debt..." (William C. Morey, Outline of Roman History, Chapter VII).
Interpretation: The most substantial disadvantage that the plebeians possessed was the debt that accumulated throughout the years.
Analysis: The plebeians were faced with the largest burden, debt, after they were forced to loan money from the patricians. This was mainly due to the fact that the plebeians lost their property during the war. However, their possessions were left unprotected, unlike the patricians who had the city walls to block out invaders; this displayed that the plebeians received different and unfair treatment compared to the patricians. Through the forceful loans that were made by the plebeians, they were lowered to a debtor's class, where the harsh law of debt was applied on to them. The law of debt legally allowed the people with debts to be treated inhumanly, where they were permitted to be arrested, thrown in jail, or made slaves. This law not only was harsh and unfair to the debtors, but kept the poor in a state of poverty from which they were not able to escape from.
Quote: "Moreover, an act was passed granting him immunity for all his past acts, and for the future, power of life and death, of confiscation, of colonization, of founding or demolishing cities, and of taking away or bestowing kingdoms at his pleasure." (Reader 5)
Interpretation: With the title of Dictator, Sulla gave himself the ability to indulge in his own appetite whenever he chose and not to be punished for it.
Analysis: Sulla, a Patrician and Optimate, won the civil war, bestowing the skill to do as he wished without punishment. The tension that would come from this between the not only the Plebeians and the Patricians, but the Optimates and Populares as well was to be unbearable. With the privileges the Patricians already had over the Plebs, now there was an advantage within the privileged class. This act was a large contribution to the transition of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire as a complete dictatorship emerged. The reemergence of the dictator in Rome was credited to Sulla as he further separated the two class. The now unpunishable action of evicting land for one's own use redivided the Patricians and the Plebeians and the Populares and the Optimates. Ultimately, Rome transitioned to an Empire from the disconnection and subdivision of the Patricians and the Plebs, as well as the Populares and the Optimates due to the reforms of Sulla during his time as a Dictator.
Quote: "In the tumult many of the Gracchans perished, and Gracchus himself, vainly circling round the temple, was slain at the door close by the statues of the kings" (Reader 3).
Interpretation: Gracchus and many of his followers were killed by the Senate in order to have the Patricians maintain the upper hand in politics and rights.
Analysis: During the time of Gracchus, the Plebeians slowly became more involved in the Roman way of life as he fought for them. This did not sit well with most of the Patricians, especially the Senate. The tension grew between the two classes as they became more similar, and in an attempt to restore what the Patricians believed to be the balance. They believed a clear unbalance was balanced because they thought they were superior in ways of education and wealth. The Senate, being the next most powerful branch of the Roman government, decided to assassinate Gracchus in order to try to regain their advantage, pushing the tension between the Plebs and Patricians over the line.
Quote: "Sulla now busied himself with slaughter, and murders without number or limit filled the city. Many, too, were killed to gratify private hatreds, although they had no relations with Sulla, but he gave his consent in order to gratify his adherents" (Reader 5).
Interpretation: Sulla lead a violent time in Rome as he often murdered for the sake of it. Not only for his pleasure, but for the delight of other Optimates as they took the lives of those whom they disliked
Analysis: When Sulla won the Roman Civil War, the Optimates gained a significant advantage in many areas. Most members of this party were granted immunity in affairs such as slaying those whom they wished to see deceased. Sulla often would have no connection to the lives that were to be taken. This displayed the relationship between the Optimates and the rest of the Population of Rome. As they were given the opportunity and ability to almost do as they wished, the Optimates were set apart from not only the Plebeians, but the other Patricians that were apart of the Populares. As Sulla reigned supreme, he lead a bloody dictatorship resulting in the transition of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. His reforms to fit his personal needs were the catalysts to the change in the style of government.
Quote: "His triumph, however, which was imposing from the costliness and rarity of the royal spoils, had a greater ornament in the noble spectacle of the exiles" (Reader 5).
Interpretation: When Sulla indulged in his appetite, it gave a positive affect to the Optimates, yet a negative one to the Populares and the Plebeians.
Analysis: As their dictator fancied himself, the Optimates basked in the glory as well. One political party within the upper class was on a higher pedestal than the other. Meanwhile, the Patricians still were high above the Plebs, who suffered from the devastating divide from the Optimates. The Optimates were given privileges that allowed them to evict others and even take the lives of others. Although the Populares were not totally immune to the laws, they did take advantage of them like the Plebeians could not. The relationship between the rich and the poor suffered as they the rich even bickered with each other. These problems eventually changed the government over time from a republic, to an Empire.
Interpretation: Politics were to be directed by those who had great beauty, strength, birth, and wealth and not of those who did not qualify.
Analysis: According to Aristotle, politics were to be run by the rich. This was because the Patricians possessed all of the positive qualities of life: education, wealth, and lineage. Aristotle believed that government was meant to be run by the upper class, or the superior people. The Patricians also had lineage of higher citizens in Rome, which the Plebeians did not. The Plebeians did not have education on the same level as the Patricians because they did not have the wealth the upper class did. The money they had went to necessities instead of learning. Aristotle also believed that without the education, the Plebeians were unable to be civilized in politics. This proved that it was important to be able to be rational when in a position of power and government in Rome. The Patricians and the Plebeians contrasted in possessive qualities in life and they also had different views based on these qualities, which the conflict of these two classes derived from.
Quote: "And afterwards, when he had at last become absolute in power, and was putting many to death, a freedman, who was thought to be concealing one of the proscribed, and was therefore to be thrown down the Tarpeian rock" (Plutarch, Life of Sulla, Book I).
Interpretation: When full control was achieved, the fearsome and vicious rule of Sulla began with the innocent death of a freedman.
Analysis:There was a large disparity between the Patricians and the Plebeians. This disparity was often violent. Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a Patrician, slayed a Plebeian for being a freedman. This exhibited the gory relationship of the two classes, as the Patricians believed that they were superior humans than Plebeians. Sulla was a man that eventually would be the ruler of Rome, and the influence of his violent past towards Plebeians impacted him as a leader. The time period he was in command, bloodshed was not uncommon. The hatred between the Plebeians and the Patricians carried itself over to the inside of the Patricians class. Sulla's bitterness in the direction of the Plebeians was strong, and it affected his nature towards the Populares in the Roman Civil War in 88-82 B.C.E. The relationship of the Optimates and Populares was violent as shown in the civil war between the two. Lucius Cornelius Sulla was violent in his politics whether it came to the Populares or the Plebeians which impacted his type of rule severely. There was a large disparity between the Patricians and the Plebeians. This disparity was often violent. Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a Patrician, slayed a Plebeian for being a freedman. This exhibited the gory relationship of the two classes, as the Patricians believed that they were superior humans than Plebeians. Sulla was a man that eventually would be the ruler of Rome, and the influence of his violent past towards Plebeians impacted him as a leader. The time period he was in command, bloodshed was not uncommon. The hatred between the Plebeians and the Patricians carried itself over to the inside of the Patricians class. Sulla's bitterness in the direction of the Plebeians was strong, and it affected his nature towards the Populares in the Roman Civil War in 88-82 B.C.E. The relationship of the Optimates and Populares was violent as shown in the civil war between the two. Lucius Cornelius Sulla was violent in his politics whether it came to the Populares or the Plebeians which impacted his type of rule severely.
Quote: "For the nobles will be dissatisfied because they think themselves worthy of more than an equal share of honors;" (Aristotle, Politics, Book 2, 2.7).
Interpretation: The upper class was unsettled due to the fact that they thought they were superior to the lower class and the privileges they possessed did not show it.
Analysis: The nobles, or the Patricians, believed they were entitled to more than those who were below them. The Patricians made up only five percent of the Roman population, and they demanded they were put on a pedestal above all others. Areas like taxes, political voice, and overall importances were what the Patricians demanded special treatment in as opposed to the Plebeians. The Plebeians made up ninety-five percent of the population in Rome, and they were unhappy when the Patricians were granted these privileges as the entire Republic started to become more and more corrupt. The conflict became treturous between the two classes as the Patricians themselves began to fight from within.The Optimates and Populares divided the already minority five percent, to two separate minorities that controlled the majority. This ripped the great Roman Republic to shreds without even stepping on the battlefield against an opposing empire.
Quote: "As the patricians saw that the plebeians were growing stronger, they resorted to a new plan to keep as much power as possible in their own hands. To do this, they created another new office, the censorship (B.C. 443), and transferred to the two censors some of the most important powers hitherto exercised by the consuls…" (William C. Morey, Outline of Roman History, Chapter IX).
Interpretation: Being the apart of the minority and the majority rapidly expanding, the Patricians did what they could to ensure their future in the government of Rome.
Analysis: After politics and government in Rome were restructured, the Patricians were suppressed in theirs say as the Plebeians were offered spots in the new consuls formed. This did not sit well with the Patricians as they made several attempts to regain their power previous to the realignment. Although the Patricians were already heavily outnumbered in population percentage, the Plebeians continued to grow, giving them more and more power in the government. In an effort to save themselves, the Patricians created a new office in which the most powerful responsibilities were transferred to. The Plebeians still did not stop gaining more rights but their say was limited by this. This escalated the conflict between the two classes because the Plebeians finally felt they were being treated as if they were Romans but the Patricians continued to deny them of this right.
Quote: "Another cause which kept the plebeians in as state of poverty was the unjust distribution of the public land (ager publicus) which had been acquired in war..." (William C. Morey, Outline of Roman History, Chapter VII).
Interpretation: Another reason why the plebeians remained poor was because of the unfair distribution of the land that was acquired through the war.
Analysis: Originally, the land was supposed to be distributed to all of the people, for it was valuable in the sense that it had the ability to relieve the poverty that existed between the plebeians. However, the patricians, who were in control of the government, distributed the land as they saw fit, and gave it among themselves. This displayed how the patricians had complete control over the government, and how the plebeians had no political power at that time. The patricians possessed both political and economical superiority, which made them a higher social class. The plebeians were treated unfairly, but had no power at that time. The patricians were only concerned with their own welfare, and were completely indifferent towards the state of poverty the plebeians were in, but instead treated them unfairly.
Quote: "The sorest burden which now rested upon the plebeians was the harsh law of debt..." (William C. Morey, Outline of Roman History, Chapter VII).
Interpretation: The most substantial disadvantage that the plebeians possessed was the debt that accumulated throughout the years.
Analysis: The plebeians were faced with the largest burden, debt, after they were forced to loan money from the patricians. This was mainly due to the fact that the plebeians lost their property during the war. However, their possessions were left unprotected, unlike the patricians who had the city walls to block out invaders; this displayed that the plebeians received different and unfair treatment compared to the patricians. Through the forceful loans that were made by the plebeians, they were lowered to a debtor's class, where the harsh law of debt was applied on to them. The law of debt legally allowed the people with debts to be treated inhumanly, where they were permitted to be arrested, thrown in jail, or made slaves. This law not only was harsh and unfair to the debtors, but kept the poor in a state of poverty from which they were not able to escape from.
Quote: "Moreover, an act was passed granting him immunity for all his past acts, and for the future, power of life and death, of confiscation, of colonization, of founding or demolishing cities, and of taking away or bestowing kingdoms at his pleasure." (Reader 5)
Interpretation: With the title of Dictator, Sulla gave himself the ability to indulge in his own appetite whenever he chose and not to be punished for it.
Analysis: Sulla, a Patrician and Optimate, won the civil war, bestowing the skill to do as he wished without punishment. The tension that would come from this between the not only the Plebeians and the Patricians, but the Optimates and Populares as well was to be unbearable. With the privileges the Patricians already had over the Plebs, now there was an advantage within the privileged class. This act was a large contribution to the transition of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire as a complete dictatorship emerged. The reemergence of the dictator in Rome was credited to Sulla as he further separated the two class. The now unpunishable action of evicting land for one's own use redivided the Patricians and the Plebeians and the Populares and the Optimates. Ultimately, Rome transitioned to an Empire from the disconnection and subdivision of the Patricians and the Plebs, as well as the Populares and the Optimates due to the reforms of Sulla during his time as a Dictator.
Quote: "In the tumult many of the Gracchans perished, and Gracchus himself, vainly circling round the temple, was slain at the door close by the statues of the kings" (Reader 3).
Interpretation: Gracchus and many of his followers were killed by the Senate in order to have the Patricians maintain the upper hand in politics and rights.
Analysis: During the time of Gracchus, the Plebeians slowly became more involved in the Roman way of life as he fought for them. This did not sit well with most of the Patricians, especially the Senate. The tension grew between the two classes as they became more similar, and in an attempt to restore what the Patricians believed to be the balance. They believed a clear unbalance was balanced because they thought they were superior in ways of education and wealth. The Senate, being the next most powerful branch of the Roman government, decided to assassinate Gracchus in order to try to regain their advantage, pushing the tension between the Plebs and Patricians over the line.
Quote: "Sulla now busied himself with slaughter, and murders without number or limit filled the city. Many, too, were killed to gratify private hatreds, although they had no relations with Sulla, but he gave his consent in order to gratify his adherents" (Reader 5).
Interpretation: Sulla lead a violent time in Rome as he often murdered for the sake of it. Not only for his pleasure, but for the delight of other Optimates as they took the lives of those whom they disliked
Analysis: When Sulla won the Roman Civil War, the Optimates gained a significant advantage in many areas. Most members of this party were granted immunity in affairs such as slaying those whom they wished to see deceased. Sulla often would have no connection to the lives that were to be taken. This displayed the relationship between the Optimates and the rest of the Population of Rome. As they were given the opportunity and ability to almost do as they wished, the Optimates were set apart from not only the Plebeians, but the other Patricians that were apart of the Populares. As Sulla reigned supreme, he lead a bloody dictatorship resulting in the transition of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. His reforms to fit his personal needs were the catalysts to the change in the style of government.
Quote: "His triumph, however, which was imposing from the costliness and rarity of the royal spoils, had a greater ornament in the noble spectacle of the exiles" (Reader 5).
Interpretation: When Sulla indulged in his appetite, it gave a positive affect to the Optimates, yet a negative one to the Populares and the Plebeians.
Analysis: As their dictator fancied himself, the Optimates basked in the glory as well. One political party within the upper class was on a higher pedestal than the other. Meanwhile, the Patricians still were high above the Plebs, who suffered from the devastating divide from the Optimates. The Optimates were given privileges that allowed them to evict others and even take the lives of others. Although the Populares were not totally immune to the laws, they did take advantage of them like the Plebeians could not. The relationship between the rich and the poor suffered as they the rich even bickered with each other. These problems eventually changed the government over time from a republic, to an Empire.