Machiavelli The Prince Research Paper

Yassmin Elzeftawy

Political Ideas and Issues

7) According to Machiavelli, what should be the main objective or end for any political ruler that holds power? How should a ruler go about achieving this end?

During the political turmoil of 16th century Italy, Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher, wrote a controversial dissertation on power called The Prince. Before The Prince had been written, it was traditionally thought that a political ruler must be virtuous in order to effectively govern his state. Machiavelli opposed this belief in his writings, stating that the idea was impractical, as this ideal ruler can only exist in a utopian society. The Prince destroys this traditional thought and explains that the main goal of a ruler who

He affirms that the absolute destruction of a state is the surest way to establish power. A ruler who does not destroy a city accustomed to freedom will certainly be destroyed by it because the people will always use their “ancient privileges as a rallying point, which neither time nor benefits will ever cause it to forget.” If the people’s state of liberty is threatened, they will always desire to rebel in an effort to reclaim that freedom, even if the ruler is of great benefit to the state. Machiavelli uses the example of the Florentines’ one hundred year occupation of Pisa and stresses that even after a hundred years, the people of Pisa still rallied against the Florentines for their freedom. As a means of avoiding these rebellions, Machiavelli promotes the destruction of cities because it forces the people into submitting to his ultimate power. Though it may seem cruel, Machiavelli was not concerned with morals. He effectively upholds his belief and makes a compelling argument supporting the obliteration of a free city in the name of maintaining