Land Reform In Italy In The Second Century

In the second century B.C.E., Italy experienced a number of social, economic and political shifts that were largely the consequence of the Punic Wars and the rapid expansion of the Roman empire. Italy was becoming a more urban society, and strain between the social classes was worsening significantly. The wealthier upper class was able to obtain large quantities of land due to turning profits from the war and thus forced less fortunate farmers from their new lands, while war veterans returned home only to find that they could no longer be farmers and had to start new lives as laborers or hired hands, ultimately causing the widening gap between the classes. As farmers’ socioeconomic status fell, it became harder to recruit soldiers, and with …show more content…
Tiberius Gracchus became tribune in 133 B.C.E., and his main proposals involved land reform. (Western Heritage, 116) The land reform specifically targeted was public land that had been acquired illegally by the nobility, with the main goal to redistribute certain portions of land to the poor, who would have to pay rent and would not be able to sell what they had received. This bill was met with great hostility by senators with large holdings of land and by those who did not believe in the interference of property rights. After being vetoed by another tribune and then getting that same tribune removed from office with the overwhelming support from the people, which was a violation of the Roman constitution, Tiberius was able to pass his bill and essentially began the transition of Roman society from a traditional oligarchy into a democracy due to shifting the power from the Senate to the Roman people. (Western Heritage, 117) Tiberius continued to break from tradition by running for the office of tribune for a second term, only to be killed by senators and their clients, and became part of the first internal bloodshed in Roman political history. Regardless of Tiberius’ overall lack of success, he changed Roman politics and ultimately created two new political mindsets the populares, who sought political backing from …show more content…
(Western Heritage, 117) Furthermore, he passed a bill into law that allowed equestrians to collect revenue in the province Pergamum, which ultimately created a new sociopolitical class that could be used to Gaius’ political advantage. He went on to offer a proposal that would give all Italians Roman citizenship but was vehemently opposed by the people, a situation that the Senate took advantage of and essentially caused Gaius to lose re-election in 121 B.C.E. (Western Heritage, 117-118) The Senate used a violent act to create a new decree that effectively established a form of marshal law against anyone who threatened the safety of the republic that they used to hunt Gaius and 3,000 of his followers down and put them to death without