Political Differences Between The Patricians And The Plebeian Class

ROMAN CIVILIZATION
Three Ways the Economic & Political Differences
Between the Patricians & the Plebeian Class
Ultimately Led to a Plebeian Revolt

Introduction:
The Patricians and Plebeian Classes together made up the Roman Republic. To know surprise, they were not entirely treated the same. They did not share equal rights, although both had some rights, unlike slaves. They differed economically and politically. And ultimately, this all led to what would become a plebeian revolt within Rome.

Body: In Ancient Rome, the patricians were “the rich landowners that typically had a house in the city and a villa in the country run by slaves (Rymer, 2014).” They were the aristocrats, republicans, and the upper class ruling class. On the other
It is known that the plebeians and the patricians united in their fight/war to rid of the kings. But there were a number of wars that took place. For the patricians, in times of war, they were protected by the city walls, living a lavish lifestyle. For them, there was no harm, no foul. This was not the case for the plebeians. They already were generally not as wealthy as the patricians. So when they went to war for their country, they were fighting for the good of everyone, not just the patricians. As noted earlier, many of the patricians were farmers, builders, etc. Therefore, most, if not, all of the commoners lived in the countryside. While in war, they abandoned their homes to fight. This left devastating consequences. According to Morey, “when they (the plebeians) were serving in the army, their little farms were neglected, or ravaged by the enemy, their families were driven away, and their property was destroyed. In this way, while serving their country, they were deprived of their houses and fields, and of the means of subsistence, and so were reduced to a condition of poverty and great distress (Morey,
Between the mentioned issues such as not being able to sit in the Senate, not being able to hold office, between the plebeians being upset about their land being destroyed in war while the patricians land was protected, and the plebeians being constantly in debt to the patricians was enough to start an uprising. These issues are just scratching the surface though. After the spoils of war, the ruling patricians unfairly and unequally divided and distributed the public land as well as some other things. Needless to say, all in all, a plebeian revolt was bound to occur. The moral of the story, treat people the way you want to be treated. And that is with kindness, love, and