(a) The world is indebted to the Romans in the field of Law and Government.

(b) Greek observers like Polybius, praised the excellence of Rome’s constitu­tion and the cohesiveness of its social body.

(c) All the Roman citizens served in the legions of the army, paid taxes, elected their magistrates and decided the laws, as well as questions of peace and war.

(d) In Rome, politics was everyone’s affair; it was the Republicanism. This idea of Republicanism was so strong that the Roman rulers were afraid to use royal titles and called themselves servants of the state. Roman dicta­tors or tyrants could not dare to abolish the Senate and the Assembly, though they were maintained only in name.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

(e) The Roman law of Twelve Tables developed into three branches-Civil law. People’s law and Natural law. Civil law was applied only to Roman citizens. People’s law was applied to all inhabitants of the vast Roman Empire and Natural law dealt more with philosophy than with court cases.

(f) Roman law and administration, which was centralized, prevented the dis­integration of the vast empire for a very long time.

(g) Roman laws were so comprehensive that they even encouraged travel and boosted trade. Their network of roads is so complete that people could say “All roads lead to Rome”.