Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

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Summary of the Prince
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is arguably a practical guide for ruling. Machiavelli provides his knowledge of how great men conduct themselves. His purpose is to present the knowledge in a direct and understandable manner. In this book, Machiavelli addresses Lorenzo de Medici, who he refers to as the Magnificent. This paper is going to summarize The Prince by Machiavelli and put into perspective the content in each chapter of the book. Machiavelli classifies States into monarchies (England) and republics (U.S.). He is less concerned about republics and focuses on monarchies, which he further classifies into old and new ones (Machiavelli, 2010). The New States can either be new or brand-spanking. The sort-of new monarchies are conquered territories that are accustomed to either living under a prince or free living. Machiavelli suggests that the hereditary states are easier to rule since traditions offer grounds for a stable ruling. He claims that mixed principalities are the hardest to rule since the conquered nations will not be open to positive change, Machiavelli considers disrupting the poor and powerless much easier compared to the wealthy and powerful. …show more content…

The methods to apply when taking over democracies or republics include burning the state down, going to live there or leaving them alone but ensuring that taxes are being paid and starting to create a small government (Machiavelli, 2010). A private individual becomes a ruler either by luck or ability, and Machiavelli states that people cannot trust the former. Private Citizens who get into power through the favor of others or luck have it easy acquiring their States but quite challenging to maintain them since they do not have their

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