Directions: Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention. The constitution of the Roman Republic was a set of guidelines and principles by which the Roman Republic was governed. The consti
Directions: Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention.
The constitution of the Roman Republic was a set of guidelines and principles by which the Roman Republic was governed. The constitution evolved over time and was largely unwritten and uncodified, being passed down mainly through precedent. Nevertheless, the constitution was also shaped by the body of written Roman law.
Rather than creating a government that was primarily a democracy (as in ancient Athens), an aristocracy (as in ancient Sparta), or a monarchy (as in the Roman state before and, in many respects, after the Republic), the Roman Republic had a mixed constitution, with three separate branches of government:
The democratic element took the form of the legislative assemblies.
The aristocratic element took the form of the Senate.
The monarchical element took the form of the term-limited consuls.
The ultimate source of sovereignty in this ancient republic, as in modern republics, was the people of Rome (Latin: populus Romanus). The Roman people gathered into legislative assemblies to pass laws and to elect executive magistrates, such as consuls. The Senate managed the day-to-day affairs in Rome, while magistrates presided over the courts. Executive magistrates enforced the law and presided over the Senate and the legislative assemblies.
A complex set of checks and balances developed among these three branches, so as to minimize the risk of tyranny and corruption, and to maximize the likelihood of good government. However, the separation of powers between these three branches of government was not absolute; and moreover, a magistrate's term of office was often extended beyond one year, although this conflicted with the constitution. A constitutional crisis began in 133 BC as a result of the Conflict of the Orders, a prolonged struggle between the aristocracy and the common people. Many years later this led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and its subversion into a much more autocratic form of government, the Roman Empire.
What was done to minimize the risk of tyranny and corruption?
1). A group of security troops was set up.
2). A complex set of checks and balances were developed.
3). Roman soldiers looked after the security.
4). The senate looked after government and checked against corruption.
