Machiavelli's Prince Niccolo Machiavelli's the Term Paper

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Hence he advises that a prince should never rest from military thought. Especially in times of peace, a prince must engage in honing his skills and in studying military strategies.

Relationship of the New Prince with the People

Machiavelli realizes the importance of the new prince's relationship with the people and he has repeatedly emphasized its necessity in the Prince.

Gaining Support of the People: When a new prince acquires a new principality or adds territory to his existing rule, he often has to set up new, innovative methods of government. This creates many enemies for him among people who oppose change. On the other hand, according to Machiavelli, the supporters of change are usually passive because most people do not trust or support a government until it is firmly established. Hence, establishing a firm and stable government is a big challenge for a new prince before he can hope to gain the support of the people.

Why is it Necessary for a New Prince to Gain Support of the People? Machiavelli stresses the importance of gaining the support of the people because it is crucial in times of trouble, such as a siege. At the same time, Machiavelli says that a prince should not expect the people to bail him out of trouble. He believes that if a prince is a man of courage and ability, the people will inevitably stand behind him even in times of adversity. Gaining the support of the people is also necessary for a new prince in order to contain the power of the nobles who are a potential source of trouble for a new prince as they are apt to consider themselves as equals to the prince. On the other hand, the people only seek to protect themselves against oppression and if they believe that the new prince can provide such protection they would always support him. How to Gain Support of the People? Machiavelli has outlined a number of methods through which a prince can gain support of the people.

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One of them is through delegating potentially unpopular duties to other governing bodies such as the parliament or nobles while keeping the power to dispense favors for himself. In this way, a new prince is able to gain and keep the goodwill of the people and also prevents other potential opponents (such as the parliament) to get too powerful.

Machiavelli also propagates a theory that it is better for a new prince to be feared than to be loved since the people respect a ruler they fear. He quotes examples of rulers from history which shows that leaders who were feared ruled more effectively and states: "A ruler who brings disorder to his state because of his misguided kindness should not be considered kind."

At the same time Machiavelli is of the view that fear should not be spread among the people through excessive cruelty. Realizing that it would be necessary for a new prince to resort to cruelty, especially at the beginning of his rule to establish his power, he recommends that cruelty must be delivered in a single swift dose while benefits should be given little by little. Swift dispensation of cruelty accomplishes the desired goal without making the citizens feel constantly threatened; slow dispensation of benefits increase their effectiveness.

Above all, Machiavelli stresses the importance for a prince to be feared but not hated and believes that this can be accomplished as long as the prince refrains from grabbing the citizens' properties and women.

Principality is a state with a system of government where power is derived mainly from one primary ruler

Machiavelli's advice about the interests of state being supreme -- regardless of ethics has been followed by authoritarian rulers such as Napoleon, Bismarck, and Hitler….....

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