Why did the plebeians struggle against the patricians, and how did they win political rights?
The early Republic and the Conflict of the Orders: the division between patricians and plebeians, the first secession of the plebs in 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs, and the plebeians' struggle for legal and political rights, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the early Republic and the Conflict of the Orders, covering the division between patricians and plebeians, the first secession of the plebs in 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs, and the plebeians' struggle for legal and political rights, studied through Livy.
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What this dot point is asking
The early Republic was torn by a long internal struggle: the Conflict of the Orders between the patricians (the aristocracy) and the plebeians (the ordinary citizens). This dot point asks why the plebeians came into conflict with the patricians and how they won rights, above all through the secession of 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs. You need to explain the causes and the methods, using Livy critically.
The answer
Patricians and plebeians
Why the conflict arose
The secession of 494 BC and the tribunes
The secession showed that the plebeians' numbers and military service gave them real power, even without office.
The struggle continues
Examples in context
A model answer explains the grievances and how the plebeians turned their military service into political leverage, rather than just naming the two orders.
Try this
Q1. What did the plebeians do in 494 BC, and what did they win? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. They seceded (withdrew from Rome and refused to serve in the army), and won the creation of the tribunes of the plebs to protect them.
Q2. Explain why the secession of the plebs was an effective tactic. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Because the patricians needed the plebeians to serve in the army and defend Rome, a mass withdrawal left the city defenceless and forced the patricians to negotiate, so the plebeians' numbers and military service gave them real bargaining power.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/02 201810 marksExplain why the plebeians came into conflict with the patricians in the early Republic. [10-mark explanation question]Show worked answer →
A Section A explanation question (AO1 and AO2) on causation.
Knowledge. The patricians were a hereditary aristocracy who monopolised political and religious office; the plebeians were the ordinary citizens, who served in the army but lacked political rights and suffered debt and the threat of debt-slavery.
Explanation. Reward developed reasons: the plebeians' exclusion from office, their grievance over debt and harsh laws, their resentment that they fought in the army yet had no say, and the patricians' refusal to share power.
Top band. Rank the grievances (debt, exclusion from office, legal injustice) and explain how they combined to drive the plebeians to act, above all by seceding.
OCR J198/02 20225 marksStudy Livy's account of the first secession of the plebs (Book 2). What does this source suggest about how the plebeians won concessions? [5-mark source-inference question]Show worked answer →
A Section A source-inference question (AO3) on a prescribed passage.
Make inferences. The plebeians withdrew from the city, refusing to serve, which suggests their power lay in their numbers and military service: the patricians needed them and so had to negotiate.
Support each point. Tie inferences to detail: the withdrawal to a hill outside Rome, the refusal to fight, and the resulting creation of the tribunes of the plebs to protect them.
Top marks. Two or three developed inferences linked to the source, noting that Livy writes much later and tells the story to explain the origin of the tribunate.
Related dot points
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Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books 2 and 3 — Perseus Digital Library