人民大会及其在古典罗马共和国政治生活中的作用

The Roman Assemblies and Their Roles in the Roman Republic’s Political Life

有关罗马共和国政治生活的性质,在学术界存在截然不同的认识。本文利用古典文献和当代学者的研究成果,对罗马人民大会的权力、人民大会权力的局限性以及人民大会和罗马政制中的民主因素问题进行探讨,认为人民大会在法律上是罗马共和国的最高权力机关,享有立法等多方面的重要权力,但在具体行使权力过程中,受到多重不民主因素的限制。尽管如此,在作为城邦的罗马,人民大会仍发挥了相当重要的作用。罗马政治的稳定和扩张的成功,也是人民大会发挥作用的结果。

There are many controversies about the nature of the political life of the Roman Republic. Based on the sources and modern studies, this paper argues that the assemblies played a very important part in the government of the Roman Republic though their functions were limited in many ways in reality. The stability of the Roman government and the success of the Roman expansion depend largely on the roles that the assemblies played. It was the assemblies which represent the democratic element, not the senate's wisdom, was the basis of the greatness of the Roman Republic.