Edited sentence: After Cannae the Romans showed a considerable steadfastness in adversity, but this is not to say that they were at the same time unafraid.After the disaster Rome was left virtually defenseless, but the Senate still chose not to withdraw a single garrison from an overseas province to strengthen the city.Hannibal's military genius was not enough to really disturb the Roman political process and the collective political and military genius of the Roman people.However, during the course of the war there were no Roman revolutions, no factions with the Senate that desired peace, no pro-Carthaginian Quislings, no coups or dictatorships, and Roman aristocrats still ferociously competed with each other for positions of command to fight against Rome's most dangerous enemy.In fact, they were reinforced and the campaigns there maintained until victory was secured; beginning first in Sicily under direction of Claudius Marcellus, and later Spain under Scipio Africanus.It is without doubt that the Romans greatly feared and respected Hannibal, they would have been foolish not to.Rome's attitude towards Hannibal was amply demonstrated when he marched on Rome in 211 and the real estate that his army was encamped on was sold at the very time of its occupation, and for the same price