The first problem that the republic faced was the governing of the empire. (Yes, Rome was an empire under the republic) At the beginning, there was the problem of civil rights for the plebeians. Over the years the republic evolved into a "rich man's club" as one had to be wealthy or deeply in debt in order to get elected. A candidate had to put on a good show for the voters and this was expensive. Eventually the senate split into two groups, those who wanted change and those who wanted things the way they always had been. This was the downfall of the republic or the problem that they could not so
Checks and balances is a system were the goverment checks the other two braches of goverment, and balance them out. so if the execuative branch gets to much power, the judicial and legislative branches bump down the power of it.
