From Republic to Empire: How Rome Was Ruled

History · Ancient Greece & Rome · ages 9-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

In the early Roman Republic, the Senate was mostly made up of patricians, Rome's wealthy and powerful families.
Circle one: True False
What were Rome's two elected leaders called, who ran the government together for one year each?
- Senators
- Consuls
- Emperors
Who was Rome's first emperor?
- Nero
- Augustus
- Julius Caesar
What caused the Pax Romana, Rome's long stretch of peace, to begin?
- Augustus ruled and kept the peace
- The Senate voted to end all wars
- Plebeians took over the government
Which group were the plebeians in the Roman Republic?
- Common citizens, like farmers
- Rome's kings and queens
- The two consuls who led the government
In Athens, citizens voted directly on laws. In Rome's Republic, citizens voted in assemblies too. What else did Roman citizens do to shape their government?
- They elected consuls to decide for them
- They had no say in government at all
- They voted directly on every single law
Since Athens and Rome's Republic both let citizens have a voice in government, the two systems worked in exactly the same way.
Circle one: True False
Leo says Rome always had emperors, right from the start. What is wrong with his idea?
- Rome never actually had any emperors
- Athens ruled over Rome before Augustus
- A republic ruled Rome for centuries

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

True · In the early Republic, patricians were Rome's wealthiest and most powerful families, and they filled most Senate seats.
Consuls · Two consuls were elected every year to share power and lead Rome together.
Augustus · Augustus became Rome's first emperor in 27 BC and began the long peace called the Pax Romana.
Augustus ruled and kept the peace · When Augustus took power as emperor, he stabilized Rome and began about 200 years of peace.
Common citizens, like farmers · Plebeians were ordinary Roman citizens by birth, like farmers and craftspeople, a separate class from the old patrician families.
They elected consuls to decide for them · Roman citizens voted in assemblies, and they also elected consuls to decide for them. Athenians voted directly with no Senate or consuls above them.
False · Athenians voted directly on their own laws, while Romans voted in assemblies and also elected consuls and tribunes to lead. Both gave citizens a voice, but the systems were not the same.
A republic ruled Rome for centuries · Rome was a republic with elected consuls and a Senate for centuries before Augustus became emperor and started the age of empire.