The political structure of the Roman Republic consisted of three branches: consuls, the Senate and assemblies. Consuls were the executives of the government, much like the president of the United States. There were two consuls, and each could veto the other to ensure neither had too much power. Serving only a one-year term, consuls were the political and military leaders of Rome. They could even install temporary dictators to handle emergencies. The next branch was the Senate. In the early years of the Republic, only patricians were allowed to become Senators. Later on, the Senate was made up of a combination of patricians and plebeians. Senators served a lifetime term. The Senate handled Rome’s finances and acted as an advisory body to the consuls. Although they were only providing advice, the Senate’s collective influence as a group of noblemen often dictated consuls’ decisions. The third branch is a set of voting assemblies made up of representatives elected by groups of citizens to handle elections, lawmaking and trials. Each assembly voted by group, meaning all members would vote and their representative would cast one vote based on the majority.
Based on the passage, why was the Senate able to sway the decisions consuls made?
A
Roman government was built to give the Senate final say.
B
Consuls were often former members of the Senate.
C
Voting assemblies decided this type of power was necessary.
D
Their collective wealth and social status gave them influence.