This picture suffused with an aura of intense hostility depicts the first secessio plebis in ancient Rome, in which the commoners (on the left) vowed to leave the aristocrats (on the right) to themselves, withdrawing to the nearby mountain. That means this huge city machinery would come to a halt: farmland would be abandoned; workshops would shut down; and all transactions and businesses would cease. In one word, the upper class couldn’t survive a single day without the support of their fellow citizens. Eventually, the powerful were forced to reconcile their ruling will with the ambitions of the rabble.
This episode of Roman Republican history, vividly illustrated with a black-and-white wood engraving, conjures up a similar situation with which the modern workforce is faced. The self-righteous, haughty patricians dressed in their customary toga praetextae represent the leadership of a modern company, while the multitude of plebeians, mostly of military bearing, the equivalent of its employees and subordinates. Quite contrary to what the ancient plebs did, we readily succumb to the intimidation and suppression of our bosses. They hang over their staff the sword of Damocles, biding them work overtime, threatening them with possible pay cuts and lay-offs, simply for the sake of their own survival. Instead of fighting back side by side, helmet to helmet, however, we turn to workplace infighting, and reconcile ourselves to what they offer and do as we are bidden, with self-reassuring thoughts like, Things could be worse. Just to think of those without a job! No one dares fall out with the boss, only to find that his/her exploitation grows ever harsher and bolder.