. European history : an outline of its development. was given to two consuls, holding officefor a year, whose powerswere equal and each ofwhom acted as a checkon the other. The diffi-culty which might arisefrom a divided commandin times of great publicdanger was avoided, when-ever it arose, by the ap-pointment of a dictator,who suspended the con-stitution and exercised anabsolute power, but onlyfor a period of six coviitia ceniiiriataelected the consuls andnow became the chief po-litical assembly in placeof the coviitia curiata. The revolution in this way protectedthe aristocracy fr
. European history : an outline of its development. was given to two consuls, holding officefor a year, whose powerswere equal and each ofwhom acted as a checkon the other. The diffi-culty which might arisefrom a divided commandin times of great publicdanger was avoided, when-ever it arose, by the ap-pointment of a dictator,who suspended the con-stitution and exercised anabsolute power, but onlyfor a period of six coviitia ceniiiriataelected the consuls andnow became the chief po-litical assembly in placeof the coviitia curiata. The revolution in this way protectedthe aristocracy from any increase of the executive power attheir expense, but did not give to the plebeians any largershare in the government. 56. Rome begins her Conquests. — For something morethan a century and a half after the establishment of theRepublic, the two processes which have already been de-scribed went on steadily and together in the history ofRome: the conquest of central Italy, and the gradualmaking over of the constitution in the interests of the. Roman Lictors §57] Struggle of the Plebeians for Rights 6i plebeians. In the first direction the overthrow of the kingsseems to have been followed by a great decline of Romespower in central Italy. For many years she had all that shecould do to resist the attacks of her enemies, the Etruscanson the north, the ^quians on the east, and the Volscianson the south. About 490 a new league was formed withthe Latin cities which was of great assistance to Rome. Itwas not until the last part of this century, however, thatRome began to gain decided advantages over her neighbors,and to capture large towns both north and south of theTiber. The most important of these was the Etruscan cityof Veii, which was taken in 396 after a long siege. Soon after this Rome was herself taken and burnt by anarmy of the barbarian Gauls who had taken possession ofnorth Italy. This was only a momentary check to the prog-ress of the Roman arms. The city was immedia
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