Within Rome, class divisions between the patricians and plebeians led to social and political challenges. The patricians were the ruling class who held all political power. In contrast, plebeians were common people excluded from government. To gain more political influence, plebeians formed their own councils in 494 BC. This threatened the patrician monopoly on power. While initially resisting changes, the patricians eventually cooperated and reformed the government to avert revolution from dividing Rome.

1. Rome: Challenges from
within
SOCIAL STUDIES FOR 9TH EGB
TEACHER: MAURICIO TORRES

2. Introduction
• When Rome was facing several enemies from outside, within it
had its own set problems.
• Class divisions affected the way politics were handled.
• This led to several changes in the Roman government system.

3. Social Classes in Rome

4. Plebeians
• The plebeians were the common people.
– Shopkeepers, crafts people, and skilled or unskilled
workers might be plebeian
• Being a “pleb”:
– Plebeians were excluded from magistracies and religious
colleges, and they were not permitted to know the laws by
which they were governed.
– Plebeians served in the army, but rarely became military
leaders.
• They called for changes in government and wanted
more of a say in how the city was run.

5. Patricians
• The patricians were a powerful ruling class.
– The first 100 men appointed as senators by Romulus were
referred to as "fathers" (patres), and the descendants of those
men became the Patrician class.
– The distinction between patricians and plebeians in Ancient
Rome was based purely on birth.
• They were the only people who could be elected to
hold government offices.
– Therefore, they held all political power.

7. Changing Government
• Even though plebeians
outnumbered the
patricians, they were not
allowed to participate in
government.
• In 494 BC, they formed a
council to elect their own
officials.
• To the patricians, these
events represented a change
that could bring a total
collapse of their society.
• They feared that the Republic
would fall apart.
• Then the patricians decided
to cooperate and change the
government, before major
revolutions could tear Rome
apart.

8. Class Struggle
• Even though these events
happened almost 2500 years
ago, in the last two centuries
they are still contemporary.
• In the 1800s, German born,
Karl Marx discussed these
class disputes, which later
became the basis for his
theories: MARXISM
• According to Marx:
– a class is formed when its
members achieve class
consciousness and solidarity.
– This largely happens when the
members of a class become
aware of their exploitation and
the conflict with another class.
– A class will then realize their
shared interests and a common
identity. According to Marx, a
class will then take action
against those that are exploiting
the lower classes.

9. Ask Yourself
• Contrast:
– What are the main differences between the plebeians and the patricians?
• Infer:
– Why do you think the word patrician comes from “patre”?
– What reasons did the plebeians use to revolt?
• Recall:
– What determined who was a patrician or a plebeian?
• Compare:
– Is our society today in any way like the Roman Republic’s?
– Does the “Revolución Ciudadana” use Marxist theories in their
propaganda?

10. Bibliography
• Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History (Teacher´s
Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H. McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida,
US.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
• Images taken from Google.