User:Thomaschina03/Constitution of the Roman Republic
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The constitution of the Roman Republic or mos maiorum (Latin for "custom of the ancestors") was an unwritten set of guidelines and principles passed down mainly through precedent.[1] Concepts that originated in the Roman constitution live on in constitutions to this day. Examples include checks and balances, the separation of powers, vetoes, filibusters, quorum requirements, term limits, impeachments, the powers of the purse, and regularly scheduled elections. Even some lesser used modern constitutional concepts, such as the bloc voting found in the electoral college of the United States, originate from ideas found in the Roman constitution.
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The constitution of the Roman Republic was never formalised, and operating largely on precedent it constantly evolved throughout the life of the republic. Throughout the 1st century BC, the power and efficacy of the Roman constitution was progressively undermined by changes in the political and international landscape. The series of civl wars, which culminated in Gaius Octavian's victory at the Battle of Actium, trampled over many of the constitutional forms of the Republic. Octavian in restoring peace to the Mediterranean, dramatically changed the nature of Roman government, by creating the Principate. This retained many Republican forms, but saw the effective concentration of power into the hands of the emperor.