- Unit 3. Rome, the Global Empire
- Getting Started
  - What Are We Learning?
  - Observe and Think
  - Map Your Mind
- Rome, the Global Empire
  - The History of Ancient Rome
    - A Little City Become Empire
    - The Legendary Origins
    - The Monarchy (753-509 BC)
    - The Republic (509-27 BC)
      - The Fight for Political Rights
      - Major Conquests during the Republic
      - The Crisis of the Republic
    - The Roman Empire (27-476 AD)
      - The Crisis of the Third Century
      - The Recovery of the 4th Century
      - The Fall of the Roman Empire
  - The Roman Society
    - Women in Rome
    - Slaves
  - The Roman Economy
  - The Roman Law
  - The Roman Army
- Self-Evaluation Quiz
- Complementary Activities
  - The Greek and Latin Roots of English
  - One Myth, One Song
  - Games, Comics and Stuff
- References

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# The Fight for Political Rights

In the early years of the Republic the common people, the plebeians, paid taxes but had no access to political posts. Only the elite, the patricians, could have these high posts.

For more than 200 years the plebeians fought to have equal political rights, they finally succeeded in the third century BC. So the Roman Republica was organized according to this diagram by Gary Zabel.

The Republican Political System

Now it's your turn
The Comitia did not include all the citizens.
True. False.
Incorrect. All the citizens participated in the assemblies.
Correct. All the citizens participated in the assemblies.
It was mandatory to have been a magistrate to be a senator
True. False.
Correct. Senate was formed by former magistrates.
Incorrect. Senate was formed by former magistrates.
Magistrates were elected for four years.
True. False.
Incorrect. They were elected for one year.
Correct. They were elected for one year.
Marcus Claudius was a pretor without being a quaestor before.
True. False.
Incorrect. No step could be skipped to get the following ones.
Correct. No step could be skipped to get the following ones.
Censors could approve or disapprove any decisions made.
True. False.
Incorrect. The Senate elected them for this purpose.
Correct. The Senate elected them for this purpose.
There were two consuls.
True. False.
Correct. The two consuls were the most important magistrates.
Incorrect. The two consuls were the most important magistrates.
Plebeians could always have access to the all political positions.
True. False.
Incorrect. They had to fight for 200 years to qualify for any political position.
Correct. They had to fight for 200 years to qualify for any political position.
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