CasparHirschi

AncientRome:BirthplaceofPopulism?

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CriteriaofPopulism(Müller):Anti-Elitism

Anti-PluralismVoiceofthePeopleDisregardforPolitical

Institutions

“PopulismisBack”– thehistorical

dimension?

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Theexample of the Late RomanRepublic 133BC

Awell-balancedsystem• Conservativepoliticalculture:mos

maiorum,basedonformalproceduresandinformalrules

• Threebranchesofgovernment:assemblies,magistrates,senate

• Senatehasthehighestinformalpower,assemblieshavethehighestformalpower.

• Senateisthestrongholdofpatricians,concilium plebis ofplebeians.

• Senatehastwofactions,optimates andpopulares.

• TheSenateconsultsmagistratesonlegislation(senatus consultum),magistratesproposelegislationtotheassemblies,wheretheyarediscussedanddecidedupon.

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Tribunus plebis issacrosanctandhasvetorightagainstanypropositionsbythemagistrates.Ideal

positionforapopularis fromaSenatefamily

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TiberiusundGaiusSempronius Grachhus

Growingsocialandpoliticalimbalances

• TheSecondPunicWar(218-201BC)leadstogrowingeconomicinequalitiesbetweenpatriciansandplebeians,urbanandruralpopulations.

• Romanpeasantsoldiershavetoservelonger,manybecomeimpoverishedandlosetheirfarmstowealthyurbanites.

• ThenumberofnewrecruitsfortheRomanarmygoesdownsignificantly.

• Conqueredland(agerpublicus)ismostlyacquiredbyurbanelites,whichuseslavestocultivatetheirlandsinmuchhighernumbersthanbefore.

• PoorpeasantsmovetoRomeandothercities,wheretheymostlyserveasdaytallers.

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TiberiusandGaiusGracchus:Oldpatricians,newpolitics

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Proposition:Reformoftheagerpublicus

• Confiscationandredistributionofpubliclandownedbycitizenswithmorethan500iugera.

• Romanveteransandplebeiansgetsmall,butsufficientallotmentsof30iugera each.

• Italianconfederates,whofoughtwiththeRomans,arenotincludedintheredistribution.

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PoliticalBlockadeandconstitutionalcrisis

• Amajorityofsenatemembersarebiglandowners.

• Thechancesofintroducinglegislationthroughthesenateareslim.

• TiberiusGracchusandhisplebeiansupporterstreatreformaspoliticalimperative.

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Threeviolationsoftheconstitution

• Gracchusintroducesandpasseslegislationthroughtheconcilium plebis.

• AfterbeingvetoedbythesecondTribune,MarcusOctavius,Gracchusencouragestheconciliumplebis tovotehimoutofofficeandthusdestroyhissacrosanctity.

• TiberiusGracchusstandsforasecondtermasTribunetopushthroughthereform,whichisunprecedented.

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Thefirstsignofaslowdestabilisation

• TiberiusisdenouncedasanusurperandkilledbysupportersoftheSenatemajority.

• GaiusGracchustakesuphisbrother’sTribunate tenyearslater,startsasecondattemptatreform,failsanddies,too.

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TheHeirtoRepublicanpopulisminRome

• Caesaractsaspartofthepopulares.

• Heupholdstherepublicanconstitutionformally,whileunderminingitinformallyinordertoestablishanewsystemofautocraticrule.

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Threehistoricalconclusions• Romanpopulismwasaninventionbymembersofthe

politicalelitetoshakeupapoliticalsystemthatseemedincapableofsolvingurgentproblemsforboththestateandamajorityofcitizens.

• Thepopulistswereformingonlyaminoritywithinthepoliticaleliteandexpressedthemselvesasthevoiceofthepeopleinordertoputmorepressureonthemajorityoftheelite.

• PopulistpoliticsinRomeresultedinanunprecedented,butunsuccessfulattackonpoliticalinstitutions.Inthelongrun,however,theanti-populistoptimates weakenedtheinstitutionsthemselvesbyfightingtheiropponentswithunconstitutionalmeans(deathwithouttrialetc.)

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Onegeneralconclusion

Ifyouwanttofightpopulismitisnotenoughtofightpopulists.Youhavetoaddressandsolvetheproblems,which

enablepopuliststothrive.Manygovernmentsarefailinginthistask.

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