By the launch of the fourth century BCE, Rome was no longer a fragile democracy fighting for survival. It had survived internal class conflict, reorganized its political system, and proven its adaptability after the trauma of being sacked by the Gauls. Now it was ready — nearly fated — to rise beyond Latium. But the path to getting the dominant power of Italy was n’t smooth. It was a grim chain of wars, reforms, alliances, and political pushes that hardened the Republic into the force that would ultimately conquer the Mediterranean. This part focuses on the period from