The Rise of the Roman Republic79Romans onward. But if the Senate was willing to shoul-
der new massive responsibilities, it refused to follow
that willingness to its logical conclusion. Many years
would pass before Rome learned to govern its new pos-
sessions effectively, and in the meantime, Rome had it-
self changed almost beyond recognition.larger ambitions. Though hard evidence could come
only from a transcript of Senate debates, Rome’s elite
seems to have adopted the goal of imposing order upon
the world as they knew it. The Second Punic War was
the turning point. After that narrow brush with cata-
strophe, a combination of greed and impatience led the