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The Gracchi Brothers: The Roman Political System

926 Words4 Pages

The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, had intentions of making Rome the best it could be, which contradicted the visions of the Senators. The two brothers grew up during a tough time in the Roman Empire, but they took it upon themselves to make a difference. “The Empire went through tremendous growth, through both acquisition of land, slaves, and various citizen classes.” This drastic growth ultimately led to a fall in the Roman political system. Tiberius, the older brother, founded the idea of the agrarian laws, which was later continued by his younger brother, Gaius, after his death. As a result of the agrarian laws, the two brothers were able to take control of the Empire, causing the Senate to fear their intentions and their potential. The Gracchi Brothers used their power and authority to take advantage of the vulnerable Roman government. They often let their selfish nature take control of the power they had, impacting Rome negatively. Gaius made it his goal to get back at the Senate for the death of his brother by replacing them with the Equites. The Gracchi brothers are the first tribunes to take advantage of their power. …show more content…

The two brothers recognized their opportunity to expose the weaknesses of the Roman Republic and the Senate. This resulted in the Senate’s unfriendly reaction to the Gracchi, which influenced the brothers to make changes to Roman politics. The brothers attempted to change Roman politics, as a result of the reaction the Senate gave them. The affect of these changes was proven after the death of the Gracchi brothers. Lastly, the Gracchus brothers changed Roman history positively at times and negatively at times, resulting in short and long-term damage to Rome. Tiberius and Gaius strived to better Rome as a whole, which separated themselves from the rest of the

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