"Popular Sovereignty" And Factional Struggle In The Late Roman Republic

In the Roman republican system,"popular sovereignty" has always been regarded as an important part of the Roman mixed system.Only when the mixed system checks and balances with each other,the republican system will not deteriorate.However,in the late period of the republic,the social contradictions were numerous,the political struggle was fierce,and the principle of checks and balances of the political system was broken.There was a situation in which Populares and Optimates fought against each other.Politicians used "popular sovereignty" as a weapon,ignored the opposition of the senate,served their own political interests and political ambitions,and gradually turned"popular sovereignty" into a political tool.In one abuse after another,the republic collapsed,and individual dictatorships were legitimately established with the help of"popular sovereignty".This paper discusses this phenomenon in detail and analyzes the role of "popular sovereignty" in the factional struggle of the late republic and its influence on the collapse of the Roman republic.The thesis is divided into three parts:introduction,text and conclusion.The introduction briefly introduces the research purpose and significance of this paper,as well as the research status of domestic and foreign scholars on this issue.The text is divided into four parts.The first part briefly introduces the concept of Roman popular sovereignty."The Roman people's sovereignty" means that the Roman people are the masters of the country and have important powers such as appointing or removing officials,declaring war and making laws."Popular sovereignty" can only be expressed through the people's congress.The people's assembly is divided into three different sessions according to the difference between its functions,the chairpersons,and so on.They operate according to different procedures and have different roles in politics.But these assemblies were controlled by the aristocracy,and there was a great deal of design to limit the power of the people.This design led to the contradiction between the theoretical "Roman people"and the actual Roman people participating in political activities in Rome,resulting in the,"popular sovereignty" as an important weapon in the factional struggle.The second part discusses the process of "popular sovereignty" participating in factional struggle.In order to avoid the opposition of the senate,the Gracchus brothers used the means of "people's sovereignty" in an unconstitutional way to force the reform legislation,which opened an era of abuse of "people's sovereignty".Later statesmen such as Marius,Sulla,Pompey,and Caesar all used popular sovereignty as a tool for personal gain and political prestige.It was the abuse of "popular sovereignty" that led to the gradual loss of the senate's ability to manage the country,providing a legitimate way for the establishment of individual dictatorship.The third part analyzes the factors that influence the abuse of "popular sovereignty".The solidification and fierce competition of the ruling class,especially the senatorial class,made the political aspirants have to rely on the "people" to realize their personal goals.The Roman people's assembly adopted the ancient practice of direct participation,and only a small number of citizens living in Rome had the opportunity to participate in politics.In the late republican period,Rome was populated by a large number of rogues,proles,who had the right to vote,had nothing to do,and depended on the state and the rich to get by.Changes in the nature of the army also increased the level of violence in the late Republic.The soldiers were loyal to the generals rather than the republic,and their power and voting power made the people's assembly easy for political aspirants to manipulate.The deterioration of the "people" makes the people's assembly exercising the "people's sovereignty" become a tool for politicians to grab interests,which seriously threatens the politics of the republic.The fourth part discusses the influence of the abuse of "popular sovereignty".The abuse of "popular sovereignty" by political figures led to the frequent occurrence of political violence,the social order of Rome was in chaos,the people expected powerful figures to stabilize the situation,the senate lost its prestige in the early republic,and the decline of the republican system was inevitable.At the same time,the abuse of "popular sovereignty" gradually strengthened the power and prestige of politicians,and the republic finally collapsed after the emergence of individual dictatorship.