Even figures like Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla had died less than 100 years before his birth, meaning the information surrounding these figures was by no means lost to the annals of time, as in the early books of Livy. These characters' actions and traits, as well as general themes of the time show up variously in Livy's books (especially 2 and 3), and shape the way Livy presents his history.
The recurring topic of Livy's second and third books is the Conflict of Orders. This was the series of political wars between the patricians and the plebeians, which gave rise to the office of tribune and ended with the creation of Roman codified law. Livy uses the conflict between the patricians and plebeians to mirror the struggle of the Optimates and Populares during the late Republic. When looking for a political slant in Livy's writing, it is easy to say that he is clearly in support of the patricians. This does not add up, however, because Livy is writing under Augustus, the great-nephew of one of the greatest Populares politicians of the Republic, Caesar. What must be realized is that Livy supports neither the Optimates nor the Populares. Instead, he supports Augustus. This is why Livy supports the senate and the patricians, but still gives accounts of plebeian and tribunal victories. Overall, anything that is classically "Roman" is supported by Livy, and ideas that are countercultural are looked upon with unwelcome attention.
The original agitation of the Conflict of Orders was the issue of land reform, which incidentally, was a matter of extreme contention at the start of the late Republic. Within Livy's text, the passage in Book 2 of Ab Urbe Condita relating the first proposed agrarian law in the Republic dives into the conflict. Spurius Cassius, who was a consul, proposed that land taken from the Hernici (as well as some from private individuals) be given to the Latins and the plebs.