To fight corruption in the Roman Republic, they set up some important rules:
-
Checks and Balances:
- The government had three main parts: the Consuls, the Senate, and the Assemblies. This way, no one group could hold too much power for themselves.
-
Collegiality:
- Many positions were shared between two or more people. For example, there were always two consuls. They had to work together and couldn’t make big decisions alone.
-
Term Limits:
- Officials could only stay in their jobs for a certain time. For instance, consuls were picked every year. This helped prevent any single person from becoming too powerful or corrupt.
-
Censors:
- Every five years, people voted for censors. These officials checked on how others were behaving and managing their money. They made sure everyone was following the rules.
-
Public Accountability:
- They did yearly reviews of the money and activities in different areas. This meant they closely examined the finances of about 2,500 military leaders.
All of these steps helped keep things fair and reduced corruption in the Roman Republic.