What were the negative effects of the Punic wars?

Answer 1

The soldiers of Rome were small landowners, who were away from their farms for extended periods. The large landowners not only were able to buy up farms cheaply but also, under the 1 year possession law, take common land which supported the ploughing oxen of the small farmers, and were able to hang on to it for 12 months while the small farmers were away and unable to challenge the action within the 12 month period.

The numbers of small farmers plummeted, the Germanic invasion required the recruitment of non-propetied men into the army, these had no farms to return to aftter war service, relying on their commanders to get them benefits, the generals thus had a strong clientele to back their push for power, and the civil wars ensued for a century.

Answer 2

Rome won the first war after 23 years of conflict and became the dominant naval power in the Mediterranian. Both States were in financial difficulties. One of the first political results was the downfall of Carthage's naval power and Carthage was forced to pay a large amount of silver to Rome, For Rome, it was the start of expansion beyond the Italian peninsula

Carthage was crippled financially by the war and faced a revolt by its mercenaries because it could not pay them. This was worsened by Rome demanding a hefty war indemnity. Rome took advantage of this to seize Sardinia as well. Having lost these two islands which were the centrepiece of their trade, the Carthaginians had to look west. They made alliances with the Numidians and the Mauretanians of modern day Algeria and northern Morocco and established hegemony in southern Spain. This way they formed an area of influence comparable in size to that of the Romans and an army whose size was also comparable to that of Rome. This was the prelude to the Second Punic War.

It was the Second Punic War, not the first one that marked the start of Rome's expasion beyond Italy.