Land reform in the Roman republic

The Gracchus reforms were land reforms attempted in the Roman Republic in the 2nd century BC. They are explained in detail in the following pages:

• Tiberius Gracchus - the tribune who initiated the reforms in 133 BC, but was murdered by the Senate.
• Gaius Gracchus - his brother - who tried to resume Tiberius' reforms in 123 BC, but was also murdered in 121.

Outcomes

The Gracchian reform had no permanent effect, for they did nothing to change the conditions giving rise to land concentration in the first place. Some of the reform laws were soon repealed, while others continued but with weakened effects over time. Land problems plagued the Romans for all times thereafter.^[1]

Appian adds that within 15 years, all of the progress done under the Gracchi had been overturned and the poor were in a much worse position than ever before, many reduced to unemployment.^[2]

References

1. Powelson, John (1987). The Story of Land - [A World History of Land Tenure and Agrarian Reform]. Cambridge, MA, USA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. p. 37. ISBN 0899462189.
2. Appian, Civil Wars, 1.27

Media

• BBC, Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire, Episode 4, 2006, television series and accompanying book of same title (also as a The Gracchus Brothers Legacy - YouTube movie).