Romans overthrew the unpopular king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and established a republican form of government after the public outcry arose as a result of the rape of Lucretia.
The Roman Republic was composed of the senate, a number of legislative assemblies, and elected magistrates.
The bulk of Roman politics prior to the first century BCE focused on inequalities among the orders.
Culture flourished during the Roman Republic with the emergence of great authors such as Cicero and Lucretius and the development of Roman relief and portraiture sculpture.
By the end of the mid-Republic, Rome had achieved military dominance on both the Italian peninsula and within the Mediterranean.
The first century BCE saw tensions between patricians and plebeians erupt into violence as the Republic became increasingly more divided and unstable.