University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 5-1-2014 Leges, Plebiscita, et Rogationes: Democratization and Legislative Action, 494 - 88 BC Eric Wolters University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Political Science Commons Scholar Commons Citation Wolters, Eric, "Leges, Plebiscita, et Rogationes: Democratization and Legislative Action, 494 - 88 BC" (2014). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5154 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Leges, Plebiscita, et Rogationes: Democratization and Legislative Action, 494 - 88 BC by Eric Wolters A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Department of Government and International Affairs College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Bernd Reiter, Ph.D. Mohsen Milani, Ph.D. Earl Conteh-Morgan, Ph.D. Date of Approval: February 26, 2014 Keywords: mutually binding consultation, Charles Tilly, Roman repubic, tribunes of the plebs, concilium plebis Copyright © 2014, Eric Wolters TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................................v Chapter I: Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Introduction: Democratization and the Roman Republic ....................................................1 Research Design ...................................................................................................................4 Concepts and Definitions .....................................................................................................5 Organization of the Thesis ...................................................................................................7 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................9 Chapter II: The Roman Republic: Offices, Institutions and Social Forces .............................11 Introduction ........................................................................................................................11 General Background ..........................................................................................................11 The Magistracies ................................................................................................................13 The Assemblies ..................................................................................................................18 The Curiate Assembly: The Comitia Curiata .......................................................19 The Centuriate Assembly: The Comitia Centuriata .............................................20 The Tribal Assembly: The Comitia Tributa .........................................................23 The Plebeian Assembly: The Concilium Plebis ....................................................25 Social Forces in Roman Society ........................................................................................27 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................31 Chapter III: Democratization, Trust, and the Influence of Mutually Binding Consultation .....32 Introduction ........................................................................................................................32 Tilly's Democratization ......................................................................................................32 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................40 Chapter IV: Measuring Democratization in the Roman Republic .............................................41 Introduction ........................................................................................................................41 Methodology ......................................................................................................................43 Time Frame ........................................................................................................................43 Identification of Data .........................................................................................................44 Rogationes ..............................................................................................................46 Plebiscita ................................................................................................................47 Leges ......................................................................................................................48 Operationalization ..............................................................................................................49 Data Visualizations ............................................................................................................52 i Conclusion .........................................................................................................................70 Chapter V: Evidence of Democratization, Trust, and Mutually Binding Consultation in the Roman Republic ...........................................................................................71 Introduction ........................................................................................................................71 Overall Results: Quantities ...............................................................................................71 Overall Results: Thematic Analysis ..................................................................................75 Final Results ......................................................................................................................77 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................81 Chapter VI: Conclusion .............................................................................................................83 Democratization and the Roman Republic ........................................................................83 Possible Future Research ...................................................................................................84 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................85 References ......................................................................................................................................88 Appendix A ....................................................................................................................................96 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................................110 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Magistracies of the Roman republic ......................................................................17 Table 2: Themes and sub-categories based on Tilly's dimensions of democratization .......50 Table 3: Aggregate thematic activity ...................................................................................54 Table 4: Legislative actions: 494 - 88 BC ...........................................................................55 Table 5: Legislative actions: 494 - 393 BC .........................................................................56 Table 6: Legislative actions: 392 - 293 BC .........................................................................57 Table 7: Legislative actions: 292 - 193 BC .........................................................................58 Table 8: Legislative actions: 192 - 88 BC ...........................................................................59 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Legislative actions initiated by tribunes of the plebs: 494 - 88 BC ......................60 Figure 2: Legislative actions by thematic group, year and type: 494 - 88 BC .....................61 Figure 3: Number of legislative actions per time period by thematic group .........................62 Figure 4: Thematic group as percentage of total per time period ..........................................63 Figure 5: Breakdown of time period share of thematic activity (%) .....................................64 Figure 6: Legislative action by type and number: 494 - 88 BC (total 236) ..........................65 Figure 7: Legislative action by type and percentage: 494 - 88 BC .....................................66 Figure 8: Legislative action by type: 494- 393 BC ..............................................................67 Figure 9: Legislative action by type: 392 - 293 BC .............................................................68 Figure 10: Legislative