The Roman Revolution

Gaius Gracchus

But the family of the Gracchi was not done yet. Gaius Gracchus was younger brother to Tiberius. He was an even better public speaker than his brother, and his political vision was much wider. He wanted to implement the Land Act finally and successfully, but he wanted other social reforms as well. It was his social programs that made him popular with the common people of Rome. And as the city continued to be flooded with immigrants from the countryside, this was a considerable political force indeed.

Gaius became tribune in 123 and again in 122. It is a mark of how volatile were the times that the question of constitutionality never even came up. Gaius was too popular with the mob.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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