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The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
The prince by Machiavelli is written as a guide for princes of the early 1500s on how to acquire and maintain a principality, as well as how to keep his power. It notes that in order for a prince to remain in power, one must be feared as well as loved, in addition to protecting the state by any means. We will look into three points made by Machiavelli in The Prince.
Machiavelli notes that in acquiring a state, there are two basic principalities, hereditary and mixed principalities. Hereditary principalities are “easier to maintain than new ones”. This is because the people of the principality are accustomed to the rules and practices of their current ruler, and generally the same basic rules apply when the throne is inherited. The people of the state feel that a prince who inherits the state would be less likely to mistreat the people and therefore is more likely to be loved by the people. A mixed principality can be either good or bad. Its downfall is that new princes often introduce their own laws which tend not to agree with the people of the state and create upheaval in the state. If one plans to maintain a state, he must see to it that his people are kept satisfied.
Machiavelli also notes that there are many ways for a currently successful principality to eventually fail. If a principality is used to living free and under its own conditions, it must be destroyed and rebuilt. This is not the case, though, if the principalities have been under strict rule of a prince, because the people are used to obeying and would not be able to choose another prince. Also, when private citizens move in and become princes, it often fails due to the amount of effort required on the new princes behalf. The new prince generally is not capable of maintaining rule over a state, due to lack of knowledge and skill, and he also lacks any loyal forces that would help him command the state.
Another basic principal that...