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Plebeian Classes

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The many economic and political differences between the patrician and plebeian classes caused a lot of civil unrest in Ancient Rome. These discrepancies led to a disparaging difference in the quality of life for Roman citizens. The plebeian class was disgruntled to an extreme, and eventually they began to lead revolts against the aristocratic republic that they felt held them down.
Around the time of B.C. 500, the Roman community had two people’s assemblies: the Comitia Curiata and Comitia Centuriata. For a long time, the Comitia Curiata was the only legal representation that the Roman populus had (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, par. 2). The Curiata was, of course, made up of only patricians. The patricians were the wealthy citizens. The Curiata was originally given the responsibility of electing Consuls, passing laws, and trying judicial cases. With the creation of the Comitia Centuriata, the importance of the Curiata began a slow decline. The Plebeian class was allowed to participate in the Comitia Centuriata, but the organization tended to serve the interests of the elite. The Comitia Centuriata …show more content…
Their lands were either ravaged by enemies or turned into a battlefield. Homes were burned, animals killed or lost, crops destroyed, the plebeians were left without the basic necessities for life. They fought for their country while their country neglected their needs (Morey, 1901). The plebeians were typically poorer than their patrician counterparts, but the war had left them in absolute poverty. The society then trapped plebeians by allowing them to borrow money from wealthy patricians. This created a new socio­economic standing, the debtor class. When borrowers could not pay back their debts, they were arrested and thrown into slavery, working for their creditors (Morey, 1901). The patricians had created a vicious cycle of financial and physical slavery for the impoverished

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