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The Barcid’s while technically loyal to Carthage acted like independent sovereigns in Iberia. They were not really controlled by the Carthaginians. Indeed, the Barcid’s were to lead the city-state into a war that they did not want. Hannibal could use his massive wealth from his Iberian conquests to bribe many Carthaginians politicians to support his anti-Roman policies <ref> Garland, p 116</ref>. They were populists who could sway public opinion and put pressure on the pro-peace faction to support Hannibal. The power of the Barcid was such that he could effectively hijack the Carthaginian Senate and to dictate its foreign policy and even drag it into a war with Rome, which many citizens simply did not want. One of the key reasons for the outbreak of the Second Punic War was the inability of Carthage to restrain Hannibal who had become too powerful. If the Carthaginian Senate had been able to control the Barcid, a war between Hannibal and Rome could have been averted <ref> Garland, p. 121</ref>.
=== The character of Hannibal===[[File: Hannibal traverse le Rhône Henri Motte 1878.jpg|300px|thumb|left| A 19th-century painting of Hannibal and his war elephants crossing the Alps]]
It is not fashionable these days to assign much importance to the role of individuals in history. Hannibal was determined to avenge the death and defeat of his people in the First Punic War. He was determined like his family to defeat Rome and it became an obsession. From his earliest childhood, he was raised by his father to hate Rome and to seek his destruction <ref> Bickerman, Elias J. (1952). "Hannibal's Covenant". American Journal of Philology. 73 (1): 1–23</ref>. This was not typical of all or many in the Carthaginian elite. A story is told of how Hannibal became the life-long enemy of Rome. Once in Spain is father brought him to an altar. There Hamilcar ‘commanded the young Hannibal to lay his hand on the body of the sacrificial victim and to swear that he would never be a friend to Rome" <ref> Polybius, 3.11</ref>. Hannibal was bound by this oath and he never wavered from it and he became the Republic’s greatest enemy. The personality of Hannibal, his genius and his hatred of the Romans were crucial in the outbreak of the war. However, even without Hannibal, many historians argue that another war between the two greatest powers in the Western Mediterranean was inevitable <ref>Bickerman, p 22</ref>.
===Conclusion===
The war between Hannibal and Rome was one of the most decisive in history. It was a ferocious struggle and it could have led to the destruction of Rome and this would have changed the course of World History. The origins of the Second Punic War, which was very much Hannibal’s war, were the following. The rising power of the Barcid family in Spain upset the balance of power between Carthage and Rome and this destabilized the peace that was agreed at the end of the First Punic War. Another was the Carthaginian faction who opposed the peace with Rome attempts to create an alliance with the Celts in the North of Italy. The inability of the Carthaginian Senate to impose their will on Hannibal was also critical. If one was to select the most critical factor that led to the war it was the burning hatred of the great Carthaginian for Rome.
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