Significance
Though the Senate was theoretically answerable to the Roman people (populus), it was unusual for the people to pass such laws contrary to the wishes of the Senate.
The laws set down by Sulla during his dictatorship had been intended to strengthen the Senate and take power away from the plebeians. The passing of the Lex Gabinia, followed by the Lex Manilia, proved that Sulla's intended new constitution, designed to stop any one man from gaining immense power, was not working; in fact, it produced men who followed Sulla's example rather than his precepts. The passing of the Lex Gabinia was a key development in the collapse of the Senate as the ruling power in Rome. The Senate proved unable to halt the concentration of power into the hands of the popular tribunes like Clodius and successful generals like Julius Caesar, who led his forces in the Civil War which was a key factor in the collapse of the Roman Republic.
Read more about this topic: Lex Gabinia
Famous quotes containing the word significance:
“To grasp the full significance of life is the actor’s duty, to interpret it is his problem, and to express it his dedication.”
—Marlon Brando (b. 1924)
“History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
“Politics is not an end, but a means. It is not a product, but a process. It is the art of government. Like other values it has its counterfeits. So much emphasis has been placed upon the false that the significance of the true has been obscured and politics has come to convey the meaning of crafty and cunning selfishness, instead of candid and sincere service.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)