A Elementary Study On Cicero’s Theory Of The Mixed Constitution

Cicero is one of the most important political philosophers in classical antiquity. Heexpounds the mixed constitution from two perspectives--the philosophy based on the relevantthought of his Greek predecessors and the history of Rome--in his De Re Publca, he alsomakes a close relationship between the philosophy, the history and the political situation hefaces. Therefore, he elaborates a characteristic theory of the mixed constitution which makes aprofound influence. This dissertation aims at getting an objective understanding of Cicero’stheory of the mixed constitution and finding his intention of expounding through an elementaltext-interpretation.a general definition of commonwealth (res publca) determined in Cicero’s expositionfrom the perspective of philosophy is that a political community holding the just andsafeguarding all citizens’ interests. Every commonweath should be ruled by some sort ofdeliberation in order to be long lived, so there are three simple constitutions (status reipublicae) in good form by assigning the deliberative function to one person or few or theentire population: monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. Since they have some flaws, theycan not keep their own condition and easily turn into the opposite vices: tyranny, oligarchyand ochlocracy, and there must be a cycle of changes and alterations in constitutions amongthe six simple constitutions. Cicero believes that only one constitution which is moderatelymixed by the elements of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy is the best, and it can avoidturning into the corruption and falling into the cycle in constitutions. In fact, The res publca(commonwealth) is different from the status rei publicae (constitution) in Cicero’s theory ofthe mixed constitution. In his exposition of the relationship between them, he considers thatonly the political communities, ruled by those three simple constitutions in good form or bythe moderately mixed constitution, can be called the res publca.In Cicero’s treat of the history of Rome, his narrative is from the foundation of the cityby Romulus to rebuiding of the Republic after overthrowing the Second Decemvirate in B.C.449. The Roman constitution experienced monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy andfinally the moderately mixed constitution, it belongs to the best constitution described byCicero at the aspect of the philosophy. In this constitution, the consuls represent the elementof monarchy, the Senate represents the element of aristocracy, the assemblies and some rightsfor people represent the elemnet of democracy. Cicero may think that after Rome acquiringthis best constitution in B.C.449, they have had it ever since, and they still have it in his time,however, for the injustices of the leaders, Rome was not the res publica; the moderatelymixed constituion which did not have its own oppsite vice was in failed state within which ithave not ran. It may be thought that Cicero’s intention of expounding the theory of mixedconstitution is to give the message to Roman that Rome still had the moderately mixedconstitution during their period and to vindicate its best, he suggests that Rome should givetop priority to finding the just leaders to make this constitution re-operational and to makeRome the res publca again.