The only people that were allowed to participate in government were Patricians. They ignored the wishes of the Plebeians. Consequently, in 490 the Plebeians revolted. They elected their own leaders called Tribunes and threatened to leave and found their own city if they were not given more rights. Since the Patricians needed Plebeians to serve in their army, they had to give in. This was the first step in the building of the traditional Roman Republic, which was governed by the Senate and the People. Once Rome had established its independence, the other Latin tribes followed. The Latins then joined up in a league against the Romans. Troubled by this, Rome abandoned its claim of hegemony in Latium. Rome saw advantage in peace and cooperation and in 493 Rome joined an alliance with its Latin neighbors as an equal. This was to be the Latin League. The alliance treaty held that business contracts between people from different states within the alliance were to be bound by law. The treaty held that in wars against outsiders, alliance members were to share in commanding armies and in the spoils of war.".
In 390 B.C, several tribes of Celts that the Romans called Gauls attacked Rome. They defeated the Romans and ransacked the city but they could not defeat the soldiers fortified in the citadel. They finally gave up and left the Rome. The city was in ruins and many people wanted to leave and go to a nearby city. In the end however, the Romans decided to stay. They rebuilt the city and its walls. This defeat was very significant in Roman history because it made them adopt new and more effective military weaponry. They stopped using the spear in favor of a two-foot long sword, adopting helmets, breastplates and a shield with iron edges. They reorganized their army, putting in the front rank of their battle line not the wealthy soldiers as before but the youngest and strongest. The Romans then successfully defended themselves against attacks by Etruscans, Volscians, and Aequians.