Was Rome really a republic?

it was still a republic in its base form, with democratically elected legislative assemblies.

the senate fluctuated in its actual power over Rome, with it starting out very weak and at the mercy of consul's and the assemblies, more power being brought to the Senate as the republic expanded during the Punic and Macedonian wars, and finally back to decline after the attempted reforms of the Gracchus brothers.

but in the sense that they were elected officials who represented the will of their constituents in government, it was indeed a republic.

>>1536001
But in its early forms, it didn't seem to be elected by anyone but itself, the prerequisite for being a senator making them equivalent to modern multi-millionaires. Do you have any recommended reading for this?

A republic is anything that isn't a hereditary monarchy kingdom.

>>1536032
I'd recommend Representative Government in the Ancient Polities by Tenney Frank.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3287871?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

also the financial status of a senator didn't take away from the definition of it being a republic. the United States did and still suffers from their elected officials being from only the highest classes and overall out of touch with their constituents entirely.

>>1536032
>the prerequisite for being a senator making them equivalent to modern multi-millionaires
They still needed to be elected by the citizenry tho.

>>1536032
they needed to be elected either way, and to do that rich men would make themselves out as "patrons" to large portions of society, effectively watching out for them legally and such in exchange for their support in elections

There are different definitions of republic, I find.

The original meaning of the term is a government that is a public matter (Res Publica = public thing) rather than a private one. ie, the government positions can be staffed by elections, appointments, lottery. So long as its not inheritance, its a republic.

Democratic Athens believed that elections for politicians are aristocratic and undemocratic, and appointed their politicians by lottery, and everything was voted on with direct democracy.

You could have zero elections at all and still be a republic, (see China). however, citizenship is also a major component because otherwise it isn't a public concern who governs. And that ties into city stae medieval republics, like venice, who more-or-less had nobles elected a 'not king' who ruled for life.

Then you got republics like America, also different from the other two concepts of republic.

>>1536170

So, the UK has a parliament, and so is a republic AND a monarchy according to one definition.

But not according to the American one, because in that definition 'monarchy =/= republic'

Sparta also could have been considered a republic, when I think about it.

>>1536170
>not king
The doge ruling for life is literally the only thing he had in common with kings actually. He was impeachable, he had a very narrow role and very specific powers, he couldn't overrule fucking anything. He was basically a modern president just ruling for life (or roman consul without a co-consul in the earlier period, when he had military duties too).

>>1535964
It was a republuc as in it had no heriditary king
Otherwise it had a 'mixed constitution' with aristocratic, monarchic and democratic elements

The Romans were very aware of this fact and praised their system as a perfect mix between the systems. Read up Cicero's De Re Publica if you want to read up about it

Res publica, means the common things (communism anyone?), and is what the Romans translated the greek word polis (city state) from.
It simply means state or regime.
Democracy is a republic.
Aristocracy is a republic.
Monarchy is a republic.

>>1535964
The word "republic" covers a pretty wide swath of government models. It basically boils down to "isn't a monarchy." Or perhaps more accurately "isn't an absolute monarchy." That could be just about anything.

Were the Romans a modern American-style Constitutional Republic? No. But there are plenty of other types of republic out there. And Rome was one of them. Actually, several of them. The Roman Republic's structure changed dramatically during its existence.

>>1535964
>ITT: People who never read Plato's Republic

>Suetonius
>Josephus

>Republic
Anon...