49511 CONCLUSION 197 



litical struggle and rebellion succeeded in the recstablish- 

 ment of representative government based upon the system 

 of their forebears. 



The Greeks of Homeric times, and probably all human 

 groups living under the same social and political conditions, 

 have had those tribal or communal gatherings for the sake 

 of a mutual discussion and decision in matters vital to their 

 physical and political existence. But owing to the steady 

 growth of the population of the tribe or of the tribes within 

 the group, sooner or later the chiefs and leaders nearly 

 everywhere succeeded in the more or less effectual elimi- 

 nation of the great mass of the people from the councils, 

 or even in the suppression of all public consideration of the 

 affairs of the group. 



It is in the resentment of the masses thus excluded, and 

 in the attempt to regain their old position of influence in 

 the decisions affecting their own welfare as well as that of 

 their kings and ruling caste, that the institution was bom 

 which has been named the plebiscite. 



In the Republic of Rome the plebs began to resent the 

 dictation of the ruling Patricians. The plebeian members of 

 the Roman commonwealth followed the natural human in- 

 stinct to gather for the discussion of their grievances and 

 to find ways and means to redress them. Resolutions were 

 passed accordingly, but resolutions are ineffective unless 

 they be given legal value or are othenvise enforced. To 

 receive legal standing these resolutions had to receive the 

 sanction of the Patricians in the Roman Senate. To gain 

 this sanction the plebs was compelled to pass other resolu- 

 tions, deciding on the refusal to bear arms in the wars de- 

 clared by the Patricians, to emigrate from the city, etc. 

 Thus the Roman Senate was forced to yield. The resolu- 

 tions and decisions passed in the plebeian assemblies re- 

 ceived the sanction of the pat res and became law not only 

 for the plebeians alone but for all Romans. The pendulum 

 swinging from one extreme to the other, all Rome was for a 

 time subject to the law of the plrbs. 



