The emperors thought that if they had the people with a full stomach and from time to time they gave them a few days of entertainment -via fights in the arena, races in the circus or performances in the theater-, it would be enough to keep the plebs happy and that no one would question his government decisions. So, as long as the chain of happiness (distributing grain and holding shows) is not broken, everyone is happy. Of course, from time to time they passed laws of a social nature born from the mere observation of nature itself that, as things stand, we should consider recovering. One of these examples was the Lex cionaria (Law of the stork), through which children had the obligation to care for their elders. This law was enacted taking the example of the storks:when they can fend for themselves, but are still young, they lavish themselves on the care of old or disabled parents, providing them with food and protecting them. How wise nature is and how little we pay attention to it!
At some point, someone must have thought:what if, in addition to caring for them, we paid them for the "services provided"? And so they did.
The great military success of Rome was due to the great work in the field of engineering, to the pacts, to the occasional betrayal... and, above all, to the legions. Organized, disciplined military structures, with great mobility (they could travel 50 km/day) and maneuverability. They were made up of Roman citizens who enlisted voluntarily - in times of war conscription was compulsory - and, after spending four months of hard instruction, they had to remain in active service for 25 years. When these "veterans" completed their years of service, they were licensed (emeritus) and received a plot of land or an amount of money equivalent to twelve years' pay in the time of Octavio Augusto. On many occasions, cities were founded to settle retirees, such as Emérita Augusta -today Mérida-, which was founded by Augustus when the veterans of the V and X legions were discharged after the Cantabrian wars. On other occasions, it was the legion camps themselves that formed stable population nuclei, as in the case of León, which was founded on the camp of the Legio VII.
It is clear that the collective agreement signed by the Senate with Sindicatus , the trade union representative of the legions, was very beneficial… and lasting. Logically, the character of Sindicatus is the product of my imagination and of a movie that is always in my subconscious when I talk about Rome, The life of Brian of the great Monty Python. So, I will go back to historical reality to look for something similar to our unions. Halfway between a union, a professional association or guild and the local mafia, we have the collegia .
The collegiate they were a kind of private clubs in which people from all social strata -even slaves- joined, with their own rules, linked to a certain neighborhood, profession or ritual of worship, and whose founding principle had to do with religious issues and social. Initially, these associations played an important role in society because they covered the shortcomings of the State, with the poorest benefiting from the contributions of the richest members, such as at banquets or knowing that you will be buried with dignity. I suppose that for the most disadvantaged in society, feeling that they were part of something was very gratifying... and beneficial. In addition, they had their small share of power when the different positions within the collegium were elected. . And as has happened on too many occasions throughout history, something that is born for the benefit of society, the ambition of those who walk upright is responsible for destroying:some members used the power of the collegia to make the leap to politics, and even third parties, outside the collegia , they bought your support; those grouped together because they belonged to a guild wanted to control the prices of their products; other college , imitating the mafias, they controlled the neighborhoods and imposed their own taxes; they were fighting each other for control of certain areas… a totum revolutum. Until Octavio Augusto tackled the problem through the Lex Iulia de collegiis:
- All associations are dissolved, except the oldest and most recognized in public law.
- Future associations require individualized authorization from the Senate for their constitution