The Loss Of Public Farming Land - 741 Words

In addition to the loss of public farming land, the opportunity arose for far wealthier citizens to expand the Roman latifundia (large plantation estates) as prices declined. This expansion also increased the already existing practice of slavery and drove smaller subsistence farmers off of the land, both by legal and illegal means. â€Å"The rich began to offer larger rents and drove out the poor. Then the poor, who had been ejected from the land, no longer showed themselves eager for military service,† (Plutarch, pg. 159-167) The opportunistic selfish land claiming by the patrician class furthered the division between them and the poorer plebeian class, generating stigma and unrest within Roman society. One hundred years later, the division†¦show more content†¦As tribune, Tiberius introduced a piece of legislation which targeted the land acquired by the wealthy patrician class, the majority of it being sold/stolen from the public. The legislation also intended †Å"to revise the Licinian Law of 364 B.C. which limited families to possess no more than 320 acres of state land,† (Verlic, pg. 24). Several patrician aristocrats supported, aided in drafting the legislation, and saw it as means to moderately rectify the major issue in the Republic. Tiberius’ agrarian reform gained popular support and a majority of Senatorial support. However, the redistribution of land saw outraged discontent from the patrician nobles. From their perspective, this would severely the property holdings in their estates and declared it to be outright theft. After bringing the legislation to the tribal assembly, Tiberius endured its rejection twice by the veto of his fellow tribune Octavian. As result, Tiberius violated the Roman constitution by removing Octavian from the assembly. He then campaigned for a second term as tribune with tremendous support of the common people. Threatened by his rising political power, the Roman Senate deposed and murdered Tibe rius, as well as a large amount of Gracchi followers during the office elections. Tiberius’ attempt at agrarian reform increasingly degraded the social stability of the