As much the Roman governmental structure did not have a written constitution, their overall structure met people’s needs. To meet the need of the people, the emperor had to institute rulers within the territories such as proconsuls that were accountable with the Roman Senate. The emperor also appointed Praetors to uphold the law and quaestors to be responsible for the financial affairs of the republic. The Roman Republic highly prized its citizenship and citizenship could only be obtained through birth 1 . A citizen was given fair public trial, safeguarded from particular disgraceful public punishments, and further exempted from execution.
| Position | Role/Job | Strengths of the Role | Weaknesses of the Role |
| Praetors | Praetors issued military commands and administered the civil law in Rome | This role allowed a person to supervise legal proceedings | The job required a person to have the right social contacts. |
| Censors | They were elected members that conducted census, reviewed senate role, enrolled new citizens, controlled public morals and further oversaw the leasing of public contracts. | This role gave the censor the authority to oversee moral conduct and senatorial rolls and his decisions were absolute. | The role did not give magistrate to oppose his decisions even if sometimes they were not right. |
| Curuliam Aediles | They conducted public games, religious festivals, city upkeep, marketplace regulation and supplied grains | This position had the power of the king. | Th aediles only served for a period of one year. |
| Proconsul | Proconsul acted with the consul authority and commissioned building projects, passed legislation and resolved trials. | This position gave them the authority to commission building projects and resolve trials. | They worked under the authority of the consul. |
| Propraetor | He acted as if he was a magistrate and had all powers of a praetor | This role gave the propraetors the power to help the praetor in serving his people | They worked under the guidance of the praetor and therefore their decisions depended on the praetor |
| Tribune | Their responsibilities were to safeguard the lives and properties of plebeians. | This role gave them the authority to advocate for people’s right. | This role was limited only on protecting lives and properties of plebians. |
| Quaestor | They were responsible for the state treasury at Rome and served as second-in-command and quartermasters in the field. | This role gave them the power to serve as financial and administrative assistants in military functions. | In case of any loss or shortage of funds, they were answerable. |
| Dictator | He was appointed in times of military emergency by the consuls. He also appointed the master of the Horse to lead the cavalry | When in this role, you were not subject to veto. | He served for a limited time of 6 months. |
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Poor communication, inconsistency, conflict, and unclear goals are inherent problems that might arise in the Roman structure of governance. Since the Senate had no formal authority, it was likely for it to obstruct the workforce from achieving the desired outcomes. As much the senate was aware, it continued to establish consistent long-term policy for the Republic and further extended its hand in almost every aspect of the Roman society forgetting its areas of competency. This indicates that the lack of structure in the Senate could result in poor communication, conflicts, and inconsistency in the Roman Republic.
The legislative branch of the Roman Republic that had three assemblies also contributed to inconsistencies in the structure of the Republic. This is because the three assemblies, curiate, centuriate, and tribal assembly, had different internal organizations but almost performed similar work. Even though the curiate assembly became obsolete, it preserved functions of witnessing religious affairs and senior magistrates’ endowment. The centuriate assembly was responsible for passing law and served as the highest court of appeal while tribal assembly conducted tribunes’ elections and deliberated plebeians. Inherent problems could arise because these three assemblies performed different responsibilities.
Bibliography
Mouritsen, Henrik. Politics in the Roman Republic . Cambridge University Press, 2017.
1 Mouritsen, Henrik. Politics in the Roman Republic . Cambridge University Press, 2017.
