Rome gained its independence from Etruscan rule, and was established as a republic (state without a monarch), in 509 BCE. The republic lasted until the rule of the first emperor Augustus (31 BCE – 14 CE). The empire lasted until 476 B.C.E, but the eastern part of the empire lasted until 1452 C.E. When Rome was under the republican form of government it was not considered a democracy, nor was it ruled by a monarch. Rome was ruled by a senate composed of patricians, who passed their positions down to their sons. The commoners, or plebeians, made up 90% of the population. An elected general assembly represented the views of the plebeians, but the general assembly had little power. The plebeians protested their lack of control in the government,
