After the people of Rome had chased away the last of the Etruscan kings, the people declared Rome to be a republic. What is a republic? A republic is a government run by elected officials. 

The new government of the Roman Republic ordered the letters SPQR to be chiseled on public buildings, armor, coins, and even park benches. The letters SPQR were chiseled on anything that belonged to the state. 

Under the Republic, the state was composed of the Senate and the People of Rome. That's what SPQR stood for - ‘Senatus Populus Que Romanus’ - the Senate and the People of Rome. 

It was a publicity campaign, and it worked!  Every time the people saw the letters SPQR, they were reassured that things had changed. The kings were gone. It was a time of new leadership and new government. It was the time of the Roman Republic. 

SPQR Online (Thinkquest) 

Government under the Republic - Consuls, Senate, Assembly 

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