At regular intervals, government officials gave small sums of money and food to the unemployed masses in the cities. What brought the need for this system?

(life in rome)

The Roman "social reform" brought about the need for this system.

Explanation:

Under the reign of "Tiberius Gracchus" during the republican period in Rome the social reform was established by implementing "Agrarian Law". This bill limited a individual to own land of 500 jugera or nearly 300 acres land with exception of having 250 jugera more for a father having two son. Thus after his assassination and during the reign of Tiberius younger brother, the world transport difficulties arrived and resulted into lower price of wheat.

This generated burden further for administration of Rome city, because there was immense cost of catering and entertaining the Roman community was incurred, after this due to lack of resources small amount of financial support was given to jobless to survive. Political freedoms cared nothing about the hundreds of thousands of citizens who lived in Rome.