Government and Politics in Ancient Rome: The Republic DOCUMENTARY
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- Ancient Rome, the birthplace of western civilization. Before Rome became an empire it was ruled as a republic. The republic was the world of some of the most famous Romans; commanders of legions such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony but also statesman like Cicero and Cato. The history of ancient Rome starts with the republic. What made the republic, how was it governed and who held the power? Not just the well-known senate; find out in this video!
Timestamps:
00:00 channel intro
00:10 introduction
1:40 cursus honorum
3:06 overview of public offices
6:52 general workings of the government
7:55 the senate
9:33 the process of lawmaking
10:19 workings and dynamics within the senate
12:16 clients and patrons
14:18 the power of the people
14:54 the centuriate assembly
15:38 the tribal assembly
17:40 winning over the people
19:04 conclusion
Music: Rome Total War 1 Jeff van Dyck
Rome Total War 2 Richard Beddow
Graphic design: German Reber
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A little clarification: the quaestors were in charge of the state treasury, but only with regards to the spendings of the magistrates that they were attached to - so not the overall state treasury. Thanks for watching everyone!
If I remember right, the quaestors were also in charge of the state archive and not the aediles, as mentioned in the video.
A specific type of quaestor called the urban quaestor was in charge of registering and archiving official documents, stemming from their job to audit bills coming from the other quaestors. It was the aediles that were responsible for the safe-keeping of the archives. So yeah, there's a lot more nuance to it, but we chose to keep this overview a bit simple with the focus really on the dynamics of politics.
Guy is clad in Roman attire, standing on location. You deserve more subs and in me you have found one more
I know! The amount of work that goes into these rich productions is outstanding.
@@CleoHarperReturns He clearly has a passion for what he does
If he gets too many subs he becomes all powerful and the senate will seek to destroy him and he'll have to take steps to guarantee his safety (like take control of 10 legions and start civis warius)
Amazing work! The art style combined with the reenactments add a degree of immersion in the topic that makes the videos all the more enjoyable.
Great work. Very slick presentation, great back drops, good wardrobe! Very informative and well researched. I wish my videos were this good!!
Thank you! Your comment is appreciated!
19:20 Fitting then that the Carthage would be Roman greatest enemy. Carthage also are once a kingdom but then rejected it's kingship in favor of the republic albeit serving an interest of powerful merchant instead of powerful noble.
Glad that this is recommended to me. Good stuff! Can't wait to watch more videos.
Awesome, thank you!
Only 500 subs? I feel like I'm watching a documentary. You deserve far more subs
500 subs 4 months ago and now almost 30k. :)
@@rssea814 Yeah, I was here at 500 subs, crazy how much they've grow. They really deserve!
Great work! As someone with a degree in history, and a Romance language speaker, I can only say that you guys keep this up!👌👌
Really glad I found this channel. Great work.
This channel is gonna blow up eventually, the quality is stupendous and the history incredibly detailed and niche not covered by other people. Your videos about the different Roman helmets for example was very interesting.
Just subscribed and I’m working my way through all your videos now.
Thanks a lot man, comments like yours really lift our spirits in times when we're doubting our chances of success - as we are of late unfortunately ...
@@ImperiumRomanumYT seriously please keep it up, I’ve only watched a couple of videos so far and your content is a lot better than many of the other channels covering Roman History imo. I love the way it’s all presented, the quality is extremely high and you go much more in depth than most who just tend to scratch the surface of key events in Roman History.
I think things will start picking up a little more for you now because I got one of your videos on my recommended and that’s how I found the channel so here’s hoping the algorithm blesses you!
Thank you, oh Great Algorithm for showing this great channel. It was highly educational and interesting video, hope to see more in a future.
Thanks for leaving a comment, we appreciate it a lot!
Great content, better than the History Channel. Follow your passions and you'll achieve greatness.
Well done guys!! Can't wait to see more
Great new channel! Really informative content. Thank you! Great job!
Found you from Invicta. Great channel, and insta sub. The conclusion made me laugh, only a little, because, ya, I guess it's good we now have a system of Government where it's not just the elite that can gain power to rule us ( 19:04 ), unlike the Republic.... Oh, wait... Keep up the great work!
Great work! Please keep this interactive content
Fantastic documentary! I'm happy I followed a certain recommendation to visit your channel! Time to binge the rest of your content!
Amazing video subs! 😎 can’t wait for more ❤️
Very good and interesting video, these sorta videos are my fav when it comes to learning about historical stuff.
I am glad I stumbled upon your channel. Excellent work.
Hey I just found your channel. First video, this is excellent! Keep up the great work :D
you guys are awesome, been looking for something like this for a long time. Best thing that ever got recommended to me.
Very nice work and effort!
Have to watch it over and over to take up all the information presented. Omg such research 🧐. Thanks lads!
Great analys of the republical system!
Great Work. Best lecture on that subject
Amazing and very informative!
Another EXCELLENT video
Excellent explanation, very useful both for lovers of Roman history and for the scholar.
omg this channel is a gem. You guys do awesome work!!! Can't say it enough how enjoyable it is to watch these!
Thanks man, great to hear someone enjoyed our most complicated topic too haha
Can't wait to watch more videos.
Comment even before, just finished watching the other documentary, amazing works !
This is fantastic!
Can’t wait for more content!
Excellent!! More please !
Great work 🥳🥳🥳 Thank yooooou 💜💜💜
Very good channel, I'm happy I found it.
Ik vind zelf dat het gunsten systeem en hoe het patroon/client in zijn werk treed in Rome erg goed weergegeven in de Vesapsianus boeken van Robert Fabbri, dit is natuurlijk wat overdreven omdat het entertainment boeken zijn maar wat een geweldige boeken zijn dit die toch een leuke inkijk geven in hoe het eraan toe ging in het oude Rome mijns inziens. Ook in de Cicero-triolgie van Robert Harris trouwens.
Thank you. Very instructive.
This is amazing!
This is incredible. I love this video so much. Thank you
Thanks a lot!
Thank you for your excellent videos.
Very welcome, glad you enjoy :)
Wonderful!
Fascinating and informative, the best explanation of the Roman political system I have seen....although looking at the system we have here in the United Kingdom today I think it's not quite so far removed from Rome's as the presenter liked to think (maybe things are better where he comes from). I just love these documentaries and recreations
Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot, considering how difficult this topic was to figure out and cover relatively completely and keep it comprehendible.
Cool!!! Success guys!!
I am surprised that someone from the Netherlands has such passion and knowledge about Rome, great work keep it up, you even have women with you that is new 😀
Parts of The Netherlands were part of Rome for centuries
Never knew SPQR stood for that. My mind is blown. Amazing video
Love the on location, in costume stuff. 👍👍
thanks, it was quite the challenge without tourists passing by in front of the camera haha
I can see you guys have done your research. Very informative for a pleb like me.
This channel is a jewel,Just keep the Empire going.
Im originaly from Asia Minor,the real Roman Genes carrier,live in Flanders.
At 20:05 you state that the power of the people "can not be underestimated". That means the exact opposite of what you think it means. Got a like and a subscription from me because I like your videos.
Love the contents and style! If you ever need assistance with phrasing, grammar, or pronunciation, would love to help!
Very detailed and easy to understand, thank you! I was wondering, if you haven't done a video on housing already, if there are plans in the future? Also, gardening/farming?
All very interesting stuff indeed! We definitely would like to do more on civil matters and housing for sure, but the problem is that these kinds of topics tend to do so much worse than the military topics unfortunately :(. We will still mix them in now and then, but as long as the channel is still struggling to survive we might be wise to focus on the more popular topics for now
Great and informative video commilitiones! I understand why you did not use the correct Latin pronunciation of the offices but would have liked it nonetheless.
This is what reenactment is most valuable in. As educational tool.
My understanding is the People's Assembly was the democratic assembly that ratified laws and elected tribunes of the people as well as the pleb only aediles, while the Tribal Assembly had 1 vote per tribe, and were responsible for electing aediles, quaestors and military tribunes. Also there was a 4th assembly (though it fell into disuse) to ratify the election of a Dictator called the Comitia Curiata.
Other than that, y'all did great work!! I love your videos!
Holy Hannibal is the dude actually standing in front of the Forum wearing a Tunic of senatorial rank? How fast can I hit "subscribe"???
Just found you guys yesterday, am subscribing. Funny to see non Americans know that our country is based on the Roman republic when most Americans don't. Keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot Rob and welcome to the club!
I just discovered you guys. Excellent work. Who are you? How do I find out more about you? Dankjewel
Stay tuned or subscribe to patreon is how you find more about us, no other real active social media or sites as of now (this is keeping us more than occupied as is :P). Bedankt!
can You provide any kind of insights into CCAA or maybe Augusta Treverorum, Aquisgranum, Colonia Ulpia Traiana or maybe cities in Germania inferior (I'm not an expert so I don't know if this is the correct area where these cities were in)
Your way of explaining stuff is very intriguing and I was hoping to find out even more specially from the area mentioned above, or also about Nero's mother who founded CCAA, so it would be very interesting to know more about conspiracies in the roman upper class, but also about every day's life's in CCAA
I love your channel, it’s a funny comparison but you remind me a lot of Joe Pera
Great video! greetings from the Netherlands. I have one remark, am i missing the magistrate of the censor?
Thanks! Yeah we decided to leave that one out because he doesn't really fit the topic of this video, which is more about the dynamics of politics and balance of power between the people and the elite. For example he wasn't chosen every year but once every five years, but even that didn't always happen. The office got abolished completely in the first century BC (first under Sulla later again Augustus). It's just an odd and strongly symbolic office, that would add too much time and complexity to an already long and complex video, without adding much to the complete picture. He'll get his redemption in some future video no doubt!
great video very informative grat delivery just a bit quite got my laptop turned all the way up, roma invicta
Great video mate!!! But next time make the áudio louder... I listen to it on my phone!!!
Thanks a lot for the feedback, that's very valuable to know for us. We'll definitely try to keep that in mind for future videos :)
Excellent way to explain this hugely important part of history and because even people like me, who has been studying or reading about this matters, this organised graphics and videos make us understand even more. Thanks guys
I love you Agrippa you crazy military eadile bro.
14:12 hey tone, we followin this guy to forum, come walk out in front
Corrupt Politicians who climbed the ladder through chaos, all the while waging wars and dubbing countries who didn't fall under its heel "Barbarians". However, I'll concede that the ideologies of the structure are admirable. Great video by the way.
im very thanks to you
Its easy to see now how the Roman Political system, was so top heavy and yet created a relatively strong series of checks and balances to prevent tyrants or kings from coming to power again.
But still an Emperor after many years of civil wars did eventually rise.
Another great video. It's worth noting that the 'ten years between magistracies' thing was more hypothetical than actual. Gaius Marius was Consul 7 times in 18 years.
Very good video! But could you please loose the subtitles? Just provide the one uses by UA-cam, which can be deactivated. Some people (like me) are greatly distracted by text on the screen.
Definitely considering removing the custom subtitles now, there seems to be a majority asking for removal, and we can't ignore the majority in a video all about democracy :P
Aedile was a not essential step IE was often bypassed. But I admit a good way of building popularity and standing.
in latin when you add que at the end (repacing et as "and") it's not spaced, it's popusque non populus que. for all the other part, i love this channel
Thanks, glad you liked! Not sure if i follow your latin explanation though, are you saying the temple of saturn is wrong at 19:55 ;P?
@@ImperiumRomanumYT nope of course it's not written wrong, it's an original text, the problem in the temple is there are not the spaces marked, it's the way you read it i was talking about. you made a pause saying populus que, intead should be pronounced together, so instead of senatus populus que romanus becames sentus populusque romanus. i was not sure i remember right (i studied latin 5 years in high school but i can't say i was good at it) , but like also wikipedia write it like Senatus PopulusQue Romanus for marking the SPQR part, but the que is always linked the the world it precede, it's the "contraction" (or how you say it in english), like in italian you do it because sound better, senatus et populus romanus? too cluberson, senatus populusque romanus is the "short and cooler" version
@@russko118 aahhh like that, thanks for explaining - we are never done learning! (especially latin :O)
Who makes laws for the nation during the republic period, is it the Comitia Populia Tributa (Tribal Assembly), the senate or the magistrates?
Outstanding video, the paternalistic nature of roman politics is similar to that of modern spanish speaking Latin America, even the word "Patron" is widely use as synonimous of boss, patrona in its female form and the word "patronal" means a federation or union of employers, business owners that is.
Paternalism and political clientelism is central in latin american politics.
So many gringo don't understand this about Latin America... they go there thinking that it's a 'liberal democracy', it's gonna be just like the USA or Western Europe, but it's not, and then they get upset and freak out.
Claro porque EEUU o Europa son ejemplo de algo! Los que hacen "donaciones" en las campañas de congresistas , presidentes o primeros ministros son los que realmente gobiernan... Siempre la leyenda negra española...España exporto la corrupción! Los demás estados europeos son un ejemplo de política limpia... ¡Por favor! Y la palabra "Patreon" , muy usada por youtubers, que se usa en inglés de donde viene?
I am a bit confused. I thought that plebeian aediles and tribunes of the plebs were elected by the concilium plebis and quaestors by the comitita tributa. Or was that only in the early republic?
That was quite interesting, thank you. Just one note, I'd be more careful when using copyrighted material ... all of those "paintings" are just screenshots from the HBO show "Rome" with a filter over it... you should at least attribute them correctly.
imagine netflix funding this series!!! we'd be in a much smarter world
RIP to my guy Tiberius. fucking senate did him dirty
The polity was great just want to which language was used in administration and daily political activities as well as what type of writing material was used to keep adminstrative and political records
I thought cursus honorum, as you defined in the video, took its shape after the sullan reforms. Before that, cursus honorum was just an informal path for a politician, with each office having their separate requirements. At least i am assuming this from my own research for my thesis. I'm curious about your thoughts on this. Great video by the way, Roman government structure and politics evolved so much over the time, making a concrete explanation is very difficult and i really liked your explanation.
Weren't magistrates supposed to become senators after their magistracy ended. Were there, for example, consuls and praetors who were senators at the same time?
And I thought that the tribunes of the plebs were elected by the plebeian council, no the tribal assembly. Can someone clarify that for me?
Also, what about the curiate assembly?
7:35 There were no political parties in Rome? What would you consider the Populares and the Optimates then?
I would consider those factions (or whatever word you choose for them), being a level above political parties. A faction being more loose and based purely on ideas, like an ideology, so it doesn't have to be organized with actual members and some form of hierarchy for example. A political party in general does have members and a hierarchy, is just more formally structured. Multiple political parties can be part of a (political) faction, but never the other way around. This is what i meant, hope that clears things up
@@ImperiumRomanumYT That makes sense, thank you for explaining
commenting so the algorithm gives you some love
Empire next?
Man, you forgot about the censors when listing the magistrates.
We chose not to take them into the overview on purpose because their role, job and election was so different from the rest. Often times they were skipped altogether and missed for many years, their importance is often overstated - although it is true it was a senior officice and reserved for highly regarded men. Either way, we felt they didn't really fit in the practical dynamics of politics we're focusing on in this video; they're too much of a stand-alone category. But I'm sure they'll get their redemeption in another video!
I don’t like the empire era but I absolutely love republic
Greeting from atautuca tungrorum
I like to think of good governance and good values as social technology. Unfortunately good governance, and the values underlying it, is not as easily spread as other technologies.
Il questore non gestiva il tesoro della Repubblica,ma era il "censore",apparte piccoli errori ottimo canale iscritto
grazie per la segnalazione! Ho fatto un commento per chiarire questo
12:17: The importance of the patronus-cliens system cannot be overstated. It was the very basis upon which Roman society was built. For instance, if you're a shop-owner in Rome and one morning you find your store trashed, you would not go to the police - there were no police, as such. You could go to the relevant magistrate, but would he a) be around and b) bother to take time to meet some random shop-owner when he had more important things to attend to? No, you would invariably go and ask your patronus for help, who would see to it that the culprits are found and punished. Often, this might involve him meeting with and making a deal with the patronus of those very culprits. In short: yes, Roman society was VERY much like modern Mafia ;-P
Well said, very fun example there; reminds a lot of HBO's Rome. This dynamic in Roman society is so fascinating and we'd love to do more on this topic in the future.
No parties? What about Optimates and Populares?
We chose to focus this video more on the system itself, not so much the parties involved therein. When writing text you have to make choices, the topic is already extremely complex as is. It's definitely an interesting topic though, but deserving of a seperate video - perhaps one that focuses explicitly on the struggle of the poor classes in roman society
A minimalist government with no parties is far superior to what we have today
Though by the end of the republic there were parties of a sort, the Optimates and Populares
You forgot the Censorship who could fire senators and the Dictatorship who had the power of two consuls (24 lictors)
The Gracchi brothers had to enforce a series of far reaching land reforms in the senate to inhibit the elites from acquiring more land, and disposing Rome's poorest citizens, but it cost them their lives ultimately.
The senate was controlled by elites _(vir illustris)_ who honestly had no sympathy for the poor, they learned their lesson the hard way in the end with decline of the Roman Empire, when Rome's wealth was looted by barbarians from the norths, and emperors were humiliated by their enemies in the east.
Now We're in old ages 😃
The US constitution is not based on that of the Roman Republic, as even a cursory examination shows. It is based on eighteenth century English constitutional theory with an elected president holding powers that were thought to be akin to those exercised by the English king at that time.
U.S. constitution is very much based on the Roman Republic. The founding fathers were Renaissance men and that's what they studied. They even sent letters back and forth to each other debating Greek & Roman history. During the Constitutional Convention they floated the idea of having two presidents just as Rome had two consuls. Look at a picture of the inside of the Capitol Building. You'll see the Rostrum, where Politicians give speeches, such as the President's State of the Union. It's named after the Roman Rostrum, which was the prow (rostrum) of a captured Carthaginian ship that was displayed in the Forum, where Roman politicians gaver their speeches. That's why it's shaped like a triangle. Behind the Rostrum , on either side of the U.S. flag, are Fasces, the symbol of the authority of the Consuls of Rome. While of course they drew some inspiration from English law, which they lived under, and to them what were current ideas about humanism, they very much designed a new Roman Republic. And what do you think was the inspiration for eighteenth century English constitutional theory? The same as the inspiration for all European governmental theory at the time, Rome.
@@robo5013 No it isn't! Don't confuse signs and symbols with reality. Many nations have deployed symbolism from ancient Rome while the reality on the ground was always very different. Mussolini adopted the fasces as his symbol and from that the word Fascist was coined.
The major influence on the writers of the US Constitution were thinkers such as Locke (The "no taxation without representation" was based on his theory of representative government) and French "philosophes" such as Voltaire and Montesquieu (who elaborated the separation of powers doctrine). Montesquieu saw this as one of the principles that was implicit, if imperfectly implemented in the eighteenth century British constitution. Separation of powers is the key element of the US Constitution - something that was totally unknown in the Roman Republic.
The US Constitution had innovations not envisaged by these theorists as the USA is a federal state - thus the role of the senate and indeed the electoral college.
The Roman constitution did not have any separation of powers, while the consuls might have gone through a form of popular election, the senate was not elected in any shape or form. The consuls had limited powers, there was no Roman republic cabinet and were subject to the Senate. The Roman Senate could and did exercise executive, legislative and judicial functions. There was no control on the power of the senate - except by those exercising military force, as Marius, Sulla, Caesar and Octavian amply demonstrated, who were able to compel compliance.
@@willx9352 I already knew about Mussolini and Fascism, I was going to mention it in my post but it wasn't part of the point. There is a reason the founding fathers cultivated the association w/ the Roman Republic because that is the system that they modeled the country on. Your second paragraph reinforces my point on Humanism. I stated that they were influenced by Humanist ideas, which grew out of the Enlightenment, or the Renaissance, which was the rediscovery in western europe of all the old Greek and Roman writings. And if the Humanist ideas of government are rooted in the Renaissance, then they are rooted in Roman history and Greek Philosophy. The USA as a federal state means that it is a Republic, like Rome. The framers of the constitution had a choice, democracy (Athens) or republic (Rome), and they chose republic, where citizens elect public officials to represent them in the govt. through the framing of and enacting laws. But in our republic every citizen's vote is equal, not graded on a social class like in Rome (a Humanist idea), which is why it is sometimes referred to as a democratic republic, or representative democracy. The electoral college was not in the original constitution but was added by the 12th amendment. The overall ideas of the political philosophers you mentioned were rooted in their studies of the Renaissance, i.e. Rome, but tempered by the belief that all people have the same inherit worth, Humanism. Therefore if our government is based on their ideas then they are based on Rome.
I don't need a rundown on Roman republican history, I've been studying it for forty years, how about you. I have more knowledge about it that even the creators of this channel since I am probably twice their age and have been interested in Roman history for @ twice as long as they've been alive.
@@robo5013 I stand by what I said - and the evidence is clear The USA adopted many of the symbols of the Roman Republic but none of the substance.
@@willx9352 The evidence of the Roman Republic being the inspiration for the Constitution is what is clear. The 3 divisions of the government were Roman; The executive (consul), the senate (senate) and congress (assembly of the people). The bill of rights was influenced by the 12 tables of Rome. The idea of a militia instead of a standing army. In all of the founding father's letters and writings they quote Roman and Greek sources, not Locke and Montesquieu. And like I said before, those guys were influenced by Roman and Greek philosophy. The only quotes I found on the founding fathers' idea of the president having powers akin to the king of England pertain specifically to his role as commander in chief, but most especially unlike the king he didn't have the power to declare war or raise armies, only that he was the leader once war was declared and an army raised by the civilian authorities. When the VA general assembly had a statue of Geo. Washington made and placed it in the rotunda of the state capitol building, they asked him what legend he wanted carved on its base, he said Cincinnatus, not Voltaire. They may have been influenced by those 18th cen. philosophers' ideas of each man having an equal voice in govt., unlike the class based system of Rome, but that is about as far as it can go, and most importantly, there is no source material that they were directly influenced by them. All the evidence points to Rome. You can stand by what you said all you want, but you are incorrect.
He’s good looking!.!.
Hi
I thought tribunes couldn’t be senators
Are there any republics today that you can safely run a bar from?(like I'm in San Francisco, and that can no longer be done at this point)