Factors That Led to the Collapse of the Roman Republic and the Emergence of the Roman Imperial Government Structure

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The central factor in this transition is the reforms that were brought about by the Etruscan kings, who did more than just establish highly durable public works and build better buildings. Precisely Tarquin and Servius Tullius reformed Rome to make it stronger, as well as, more compact than before. Initially, the Roman people included only those descendants who belonged to the three tribes that originally settled in the Rome hills, commonly referred to as the patricians. This meant that no one else in Rome could enjoy political rights and privileges because they were for the interests of the patricians exclusively. However, the number of Plebeians (non-patrician members in Rome who sought refuge or were war captives) grew with time, and because they could own property, some became wealthy and wanted to be equal to the patricians. Tarquinius Priscus became the first king to introduce the plebeians as lesser people to the Rome Republic while the patricians maintained the honorable status of greater people. This marked the beginning of an end to class differences. Servius Tullius, another Etruscan king, saw that Rome would be more competitive and stronger than her enemies if the Plebeians paid taxes and served in the army, just like the patricians. Therefore, he divided the people in the Roman territory into districts and townships depending on location, with the four in the city called city tribes while in other in other parts called rural tribes, and all paid taxes and served in the military. He also organized people into classes called centuries, with regard to their wealth. Although this arrangement was meant for military purposes, it transformed to the political character, with the wealthiest level of century becoming the political and the legislative body. This arrangement saw Rome be stronger, more united, better organized than before, and gain power over its

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