While studying the Rise of Rome, I find it particularly interesting to study the social system of the patricians, the plebeians, and the slaves. There is a continuous conflict of orders between these social castes. The plebeians, being the common people, did not have any opportunities in politics until the consulship opened to them in 367 BC. Following this success for the plebs, in 342 BC, it became required that one of the consuls must be pleb. Prior to the Middle Republic, in 287 BC, it was decided that pleb assembly decisions would bind the entire citizen population. This was a massive expansion of power for the plebs, and it is reflected in the establishment of a new Patricio-Pleb mobility. During the conquest of Italy, the plebs had many opportunities to win honor for themselves and their families. In Roman society, the best way to prove one’s self as distinguished is to obtain political power and be successful in the battlefield. This mobility within the social system provided opportunities for social and economic uplift for the plebs, however, over time it became more exclusive. However, the plebs would eventually gain the power to veto new laws from the Roman senate. Studying the rise of the plebs in Rome is a useful way to understand democracy and the role of common people in politics.
