At the beginning of the Roman Republic the patricians monopolised the Roman state by monopolising the consulship (the office of the two annually elected heads of the Republic), the seats of the senate and the priesthoods. In the first plebeian rebellion (the first plebeian secession), the plebeians created their own institutions: the plebeian tribunes, the leaders of the plebeian movement, the aediles , their assistants, and the Plebeian Council, the assembly of the plebs. These institutions were independent and in conflict with the institutions of the patrician-controlled Roman state and their main purpose was to defend the plebeians from abuse by the patrician aristocracy. This was the beginning of the 200-year Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians (the commoners). The poor plebeians fought for their economic grievance (indebtedness, the interest rates of loans, food shortages and shortages of land for the poor to farm). The rich plebeians fought for power-sharing with the patricians. Therefore, plebeian representation was the result of bitter and intense political conflict. They plebeians often mobilised their movement to press for their issues. Eventually the rich plebeians obtained power-sharing by gaining access to the consulship and the other offices of state which were created as the Republic developed and to some of the priesthoods. The economic grievances of the poor p-plebeians were not addressed properly
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