Democracy: The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic, which was established in 510 BC after the defeat Etruscan conquerors, was in some ways an oligarchy. It was not a democracy as it is understood today. The Roman republic was ruled by a small group; consuls, and the Senate. To avoid trouble, none of these had absolute power. The Senate was a part of Roman aristocrats known as patricians or the wealthy upper class. They could oversee public funds and advise the Roman kings. They were from wealthy family and stayed in the position for life. The consuls were usually two magistrates elected by the patricians. They had the say on when to go to war or when to implement new laws. Both the consuls and the Senate worked hand in hand, although steadily over the years, the Senate gained more power. The Senate was the major body in the Republic. They swayed the decisions of the two consuls.
They never enjoyed a political autonomy; they never had any say in the government. However, over the years, the patricians began granting the plebeians some privileges, civil liberties as well as concessions to keep them under control (Hingley