Empires: Rome -Winners and Losers Part Three

There were even times when he would go to the point of affecting the accent of a plebian from the slums. The Romans called politicians with a gift for the common, folksy touch, "Populares." Some of the more conservative elements of the nobility were suspicious of the office of the tribunate. It required great skill for a tribune to not only look after the interests of the common people, but also to respect the wishes and interests of his own class. For the elements that had some fear of the powers of this office, they felt that a true populare might be tempted by the lure of easy nobility-becoming a leader of what they felt was a 'mob'. The risk of this situation grew as time went on and the condition in Rome's slums worsened and their population was almost overflowing.

In one of ancient Rome's more fascinating historical moments-both as a republic and an empire, two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, the Gracchi brothers did indeed make attempts at massive reforms that would have benefitted Rome's poorest citizens. I found the tale of the Gracchi brothers to be very sad in many ways. It almost seems to me that the Gracchi could have been the ancient equivalent to many different kinds of men and women in the modern industrial age who have tried to help the condition of the poor, hungry and homeless in nations around the globe. The brothers were both well connected with the ruling elite, and descendants of Scipio Africanus who was famously known for defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. It was Tiberius, in 133 BC and then Gaius, ten years later that used their tribunates to push for reforms to help the poor. Some of the radical measures they called for were that publicly held land be divided into allotments and handed out to the common folk; that corn be sold to them below the market rate; even, that the Republic should provide the poorest of its soldiers with clothes! The arisotocracy, predictably, was outraged. To most noblemen, there appeared to be something ignoble and sinister about the devotion of the Gracchi brothers to the people.

Tiberius was not the first among the aristocracy to be concerned with land reform, however his social class thought that his reforms went too far. Gaius Gracchus, more disturbingly, had a very revolutionary vision. This vision was of the Republic instilled with the values of Greek democracy. If Gaius' vision were to come to pass, the balance of power between the classes would be completely transformed, and the people, not the aristocratic nobility would be guiding the ship of state. The nobility of their time was left to wonder: How could any noblemen propose reforms such as these, unless their true goal was to establish themselves as a tyrant who ruled through the power of the mob? One of the events that hit them with particular alarm was the fact that Tiberius, having finished his year of office, had immediately sought re-election, and that Gaius, in 122 BC, had actually succeeded in obtaining a second successive tribunate. His peers could only wonder where the illegalities would end-if they were to end at all. The person who occupied the office of tribune was considered sacred in many ways, however the office of the tribunate or the person occupying that office was not as sacred as the preservation of the Republic itself. I hope to have the next post here very soon-Peace and be well to anyone stopping by!