March 14th Daily

What elements of the Roman Republican political and legal system appear present in the systems of modern democracies? 

Some element that are still used today from the Roman Republic political and legal systems are the Senate and also in a way a Tribune of the Plebs. Their Senate in the ancient times of the Roman Republic were made up of the patricians, the wealthy and high class people of the area, who were from different tribes and were representatives of important families and dynasties of Rome. The problem with the patricians being the only part of the large Senate was that they created laws that reflected back to their personal needs and wishes as wealthy people of the time. They could make any law that they wanted to, and if they wanted to make a law that made the lower class people pay more money, they could. They could do anything that they wanted in a political sense. The lower class, plebeian people, did not agree with this and how the patricians could have and do whatever they wanted, and the plebeian people couldn't do anything to defend themselves. In order to keep from Civil War, the patricians added one more person into the Senate which was a plebeian and had the biggest power over all of them, he could veto any law that he thought was not right. This man was called the Tribune of the Plebs who had this power. This made the Senate think more carefully about their laws, and Rome was more peaceful. This is many ways is very similar to the modern democracy especially in the United States. Think of the Tribune of the Plebs to be like the President of the United States in a way. He is still the only person that can veto the laws that the Senate makes up. That is why that United States democracy is very similar to the Roman Republic legal system.