The scholars have argued that the Roman Republic's political culture was democratic in nature, stressing the role of the 'sovereign' people and their assemblies. The author challenges this view, warning that this trend threatens to become an orthodoxy, and defending that the republic was a Roman, oligarchic and aristocratic political form.

"This volume is written in an engaging and dynamic style, and makes an original contribution to ongoing debates within the field. There can be no doubt that Hlkeskamp is one of the top scholars working on the Roman Republic. His book represents a summary of the main scholarly questions aired over the last generation or so, as well as a plea for new directions and more dialogue. No equivalent book exists in any language."--Harriet I. Flower, author of "Roman Republics"

"For specialists, much of the ground covered will be familiar, although the author's judgments are often shrewd and his power to summarize wide-ranging and often complex issues is nothing short of magisterial. For nonspecialists, Hölkeskamp's tour d'horizon delivers an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the current state of play in the study of Republican political culture. . . . [A] brief summation cannot do justice to Hölkeskamp's nuanced and wide-ranging survey. The notes and bibliography alone are worth the price of the volume."---Nathan Rosenstein, Classical World