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There were two great times of social disturbance in the Roman era. The first upheaval occurred in circa 445 BC. The second upheaval took place during Julius Caesars term of dictatorship. This took place about 45 BC. In both these cases the classes changed and were allowed rights that they havent had before. During the Struggle of Orders, the pleabeains wanted representation in the senate.
During the late republic, many aristocrats were buying the farms from the small farmers. Due to this the farmers had no where but the army to turn for money. So in the late republic a leader by the name of Scipio Aemilianus gave there soldiers land to cultivate after their term in the army was over. Before the Struggle of Orders, the plebeians did not have any representation in the senate. Representation is exactly what they had wanted. They wanted a voice because they didnt think that they were being heard.
The patricians at that time the only men allowed in the senate. They were protected by anybody in the senate. The plebeians were right; the men of the senate only made laws that benefited themselves. They would not make laws that changed their lives in the least. I believe that the plebeians benefited from the Struggle of Orders. Before hand they were given no voice in the senate of Rome.
Afterwards the plebeians were allowed representation. They were given the position of the Tribune. The Tribunes were the protectors of the plebeians. All they wanted was equality within the law. In result of this, the Roman law became more rounded and fairer. This helped the city out socially because the Plebeians were the majority in those times.
During the late republic there were many wars that plagued Rome. They depended on an army that was always on standby. Who were their armies made up of? The Roman armies were made of plebeians. Most of the soldiers were small plebeian farmers who did not that a lot of money. During these wars the families farm would me ruined because of the ravages of war or because the head male was gone to care for the land.
These people were not wealthy enough to afford slaves. When the war was over, the soldiers returned to their ranked farms. These people did not know what to do because all their lives they were farmers. In order to fix this problem, the leaders of the legions would give each soldier a certain amount of land, in the conquered area. This helped out the Plebeians because it gave them a fresh start in society again after war. There was no need for them to have to start their lives all over again.
If the plebeians needed to start from scratch, it would have ruined the economy because many people would have been poor and would not be able to help themselves. This benefitted the city of Rome because it helps spread the Roman culture throughout Romes conquered areas. The plebeians received the better end of the deal, because they were given acres of free land to farm. In conclusion, there were two great upheavals during the roman era. The first one accrued during the Struggle of Orders in which the plebeians gained a voice in the senate through the Tribunes.
This made the Roman law more rounded and fairer to everyone. The second upheaval was in the late republic after war, the soldiers were given land to farm. This helped the whole roman economy because if the farmers had no were to go, the city would not have been able to support all of these people. They needed to make a living on their own.
I believe that every upheaval Rome benefited in one way or another. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Struggle Of Orders Land To Farm Plebeians
