A Brief History of Labor

Part one
Senatus Populusque Romanus

At first glance it all seemed business as usual in the early years of the 5 th Century B.C.E.
as the Patricians donning their best armor and sitting astride their finest combat mounts lead
legions of Plebeians. They took their position on the field and prepared to face old enemies
Volsci, Aequi, and Sabinesyet again. However, everything was not business as usual. There
were tensions simmering between the Patricians and the Plebeian with the Patricians refusing to
compromise in the slightest. Now with the Republic facing this three prong threat with the
Sabines to the north, the Aequians to the east, the Volscians to the south, and the Tyrrhenian Sea
to the west the Plebeians have decided to go on the first recorded labor strike known as the
Secessio Plebis.
Trouble began at the end of the Kingdom of Rome and the beginning of the Republic of
Rome. For the average Roman or Plebeian life was basically a simple existence. Most were
farmers who had modest land holdings on which to grow their crops. Like farmers today, most
would require a loan from the Patrician class to be able to buy the seeds, equipment, and other
supplies they would require for the growing seasons with the idea of raising a crop, selling it, and
make enough money to pay their loan back plus the usury and have some leftover for their
familys needs. There were various loans for craftsmen as well.
As you probably have deduced the Patricians lives were far more complicated. They
would lend the money, collect the debts, and profit from the interests. This by definition was a
pure form of CapitalismInvestors (Capitalists) making investments (Capital) and living off of
the profits of their investments (Capital.) They also made all of the rules since the Patricians
controlled the Senate and Consulships the main ruling bodies of Rome. It should be mentioned
that the Kingdom of Rome had been eradicated because the Patricians wanted the freedom to do
as they will. In truth capitalism requires a system; a culture to which the leaders or top investors
become enslaved as wellmaintaining a status quo is a top priority in any form of Capitalism.
Just imagine if tomorrow the average people stopped using money or found true value in
something else such as meaningful works or relationships and accomplishments; people like
Trump would tumble to earth in an instant.
Problem was that as all farmers or people who have worked as farm hands know all too
well is that crops arent always successful. Oh, you can still have a bountiful yield but there is no
guarantee that you will make the money you need to cover your expensesin fact a basic
understanding of the concept of supply and demand reveals that a large yield could send prices
plummeting. You cannot have a profitable grocery store if people are not starving. Now if a lot of
farmers produce too much and do not make enough this could be just as much a drag on an
economy as if the crops failed. No money; nothing to trade, or even having far too much of
something that the demand drops can all be devastating to a farmer. Quite often a farmer could
find himself falling further and further into debt.
 They had few options such as hiring themselves out to other farms but then the work on
their own farm would suffer and if other farmers are not doing well either then this option isnt
very realistic at all. They could develop other skills such as a cooper, a wheelwright, a potter,
carpenter to supplement their income but most families at this time were very self sufficient as
far as producing things they needed decreasing the demand for these items and the likelihood of
truly supplementing their income needs.
Lets not forget that the Patricians had large farms as well or could and did take control of
farms of farmers who had owed them money. Depending on which benefited the Patrician
Landlord the most they would either rent the farm out at a major expense which the tenant
farmer would struggle to meet all year or keep the original farmers there as slaves of the
Patricianthe indebted farmer was usually thrown into debtors prison or enslaved anyway but
what most benefited the Patrician was the way they would go with the farm they had seized.
This would be a great time to explain power. Machiavelli wrote an amazing book on
power with the hopes that Lorenzo di Medici would read it and take control. This brings up
another amazing pointthere is no need to ban books all you have to do is teach people what is
in a book and the vast majority will never read it for themselves because they were already told
what was in the book. The Prince was one of the first books I read that I had been taught about
and I found much more in it than I had been taught and my teachers opinion of the book showed
that the teacher hadnt read it either nor had they read or understood a lot of other booksjust
towing the line I guess.
However, lets get back to power. Power in my own words is defined as the influence
which others allow you to have over them. But how do you gain power? Power is gained through
a simple ratiothe more that you are dependent on me and the less dependent I am on you the
more I will have power and the stronger that power will be over you. This works for all power.
The minute this dependency wanes is the minute the power dissipates. Officers in the military on
which soldiers are dependent on for training, food, supplies, respect, fairness, trust, and victories
at a minimal cost will enjoy far more power than those officers who are incompetent and who
cannot maintain that dependency. Soldiers who realize that the officer they are dependent on
cannot achieve any of this will be more likely to mutiny or desert. They do this because in their
mind the dependency doesnt exist. It is very simple if you have no dependency on someone they
will have no power over you. True equality exists only when you are equally dependent on
another as they are on you. Gaius Julius Caesar gained a lot of loyalty by the support he gave his
troops and people under his jurisdiction but in turn created a dependency on him which led to his
power.
Our system feeds into this dependency as did the system of the Ancient Romans and
Romans of today. It is central to Capitalisminvestors can only make money where their money
or other forms of Capital are needed. To maintain this dependency which gave the Patricians as
well as the Capitalists of today great power and with it a position of living in the lap of luxury
they stack the deck wherever they can in their favor. No true investor will invest their capital in a
venture that could easily leave them a pauper. In most cases the investment risk will be reduced
by holding the ones invested in responsiblejust read most contracts, talk about one sided as far
as lost is concerned.
So here we have the Plebeians firmly positioned between a rock and a hard place while
the Patricians made a living off of the Plebeian labors. You are in major debt to Patrician lenders
it should be noted that the debt may not be money it could be a loan of anything you require to
do your job and the actual amount owned is totally up to the lenderand they want paid. Many
of your fellow farmers have already lost or sold their farms and moved to the city looking for
workone of the main reasons Rome becomes such a large urban area. Here you are armed with
weapons and gear you had to supply to fight a war which will benefit the Patricians greatly if you
win. It will also benefit them greatly if you lose giving the Republic an enemy that would cause
the people to look to the leadership and protection of the Patricians giving the Patricians even
more power. You dont have any say in a system for which you must bust your ass. It is as if your
entire life is
You didnt really have to form up to fight but you are in debt and if you win you will
have pillaging rights. You could earn enough from this that you could finally get out of debt. You
may have the ability to finally take control of your own farm and grow what you wantlenders
can also dictate what they want you to produce. Hopefully if you please Mars with your combat
you will be rewarded; you may be elevated socially. However, you could be killed which would
be devastating to your family. You could also be left out of the pillaging which happens
sometimes. After the battle you could be kept on guard and have to remain on alert because of
potential counter attacks. You may be wounded and be more consumed with seeking help than
pillaging. There may be nothing to pillage. All of these are major risks to youas mentioned
before, the Patricians can and will prosper.
Up steps Lucius Sicinius Vellutus with an idea. He invites all the Plebeian troops to
abandon the field and leave the Patricians to fight their own war. At the predetermined moment
all the soldiers leave their commanders and take up a position on Mons Sacer where they set up
a fortified camp.
Plebeians in Rome and the surrounding areas panicked. They thought that they would be
the victims of Patrician retribution. They left Rome and joined the Plebeian stronghold on Mons
Sacer. What they didnt realize that the only way the Patricians could have doled out any
retributions was if they had their Plebeian soldiers to do it but the Plebeian soldier were all
unified this time instead of selling out one another for table scraps from their masters. In reality
the Patricians were horrified and terrified. They were now for the first time in Romes history
literally between a rock and a hard place. Not only did they not have an army to protect them but
they did not have their Plebeian guards to oversee their slaves or Plebeian workers from whom to
earn a living. Its a funny thing, you could be the greatest leader on the face of the earth but if
you have no followers you arent a leader. Quickly they came to their senses and gave into all of
the Plebeian demands giving them a voice in the government; a real voice in the form of the
Concilium Plebis or Plebeian Council. They were given the right to veto decisions by the Senate.
Just over one hundred years late the Licinio-Sextian Law was enacted which made it mandatory
to have at least one Plebeian Consul a year.
Lucius Sicinius Vellutus would go down in history as the only person in history to stand
up to the powers of Rome and live. However as time went on Patricians learned the power of
well placed table scraps in developing loyalty. They were able to distract the Plebeians through
games and the dependency of the Plebeians. They also spread propaganda; they created fears
which were help with invasions by Pyrrhus and later Hannibal. They taught the Plebeians about
what was important to save the Republic which included blind patriotism. Patricians had divided
and conquered the Plebeians so thoroughly that when the Gracchi Brothers attempted to create
land reform to help alleviate debt and keep the economy going strong again they were hunted
down and murdered by bands of Plebeians. Yes, debt was a problem again and Plebeians were
left at the whim of the Patricians through this debt again. People were taught that the Gracchi
Brothers were a threat to the Republic. In actuality they were only a threat to the Patrician power
and profit margins. Things would degrade quickly from there as Rome literally entered into a
situation of civil Wars as one Patrician Family tried to gain more control and profits; using
Plebeians looking for table scraps to terrorize others. This finally culminates in the rivalry of
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix and Gaius Marius. During this conflict a young Gaius Julius
Caesar would learn a lot and make a name for himselfMarius married Julius aunt.
The Republic would give way to the Empire. One historian believes that the Empire was
a necessary transformation in order to react to growing tensions with Plebeians and Patricians
again. Successful Emperors were the ones who played to the Plebeians the best.