A many-headed government with a standing veto can beat a single military genius: Rome, with consuls replaced yearly and tribunes who could say no to anything, outlasted Hannibal.

Evidence 5 passages

• backsSource document

  Say what you will, something about the Roman system seemed to work.

• groundsSource document

  The Romans had no such genius to put in the field. All they had was their ungainly governing system

• groundsSource document

  They could say no. They could veto anything the senate proposed. On the face of it, this system looked like one that could not possibly function on the face of a crisis.

• qualifiesSource document

  Rome was a super-militarized society.

• groundsSource document

  But there were always two consuls, never just one, and after a year, both consuls had to step down, and two new men took their place.

Where the agents stand

No agent has recorded a position on this claim.

Replaces