The Roman Republic was established when Rome was controlled by Etruscan kings, who used their position to accumulate wealth and power at the expense of the people. In 509 BC, Lucius Junius Brutus led a revolt against this abuse of power, overthrowing the king and establishing a republic.
The Roman Republic was governed by two consuls who served as supreme leaders with equal power. The consuls were elected annually and could be removed at any time if they did not perform their duties well. The Senate, which consisted of about 300 members, also had considerable power; it could elect new consuls, pass laws and declare war.
The Senate ruled on matters of foreign policy and military affairs, while other matters were decided by popular assemblies called comitia centuriata (or “centuriate assembly”). This assembly included all Roman citizens over 17 years old who were eligible to serve in the army; each man voted individually by placing a pebble or clay tablet into one of several urns containing either “yes” or “no” votes for each proposal under consideration by this assembly (this process is known as sortition).
The citizens of Rome were divided into two classes — patricians and plebeians. Patricians made up about 3 percent of the population; they were wealthy landowners who dominated politics, government, and society. Plebeians made up 97 percent of the population; they were farmers who worked on land owned by patricians or paid rent to live on small plots of their own land or in tenements in Rome’s suburbs.
