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Questions On The Prince

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The Prince Questions:

1.During the time period that Machiavelli wrote the Prince, Italy was tons of different group of cities and states. Each one of them was trying to gain control and power over the others. Along with the small civil wars over power, other countries such as the Spanish, Germans, and the French. The French had an ally with one of Italy’s oldest and most powerful cities of Florence. When the French were defeated by the Pope, Florence was also taken out. Florence was important to Machiavelli because it was where he served as a diplomat and a counselor for thirteen years. When Florence was taken over, Machiavelli nearly escaped execution and was later charged with exile. He was not allowed to come back to his beloved city. Machiavelli continued to write letters to the government trying to convince them to let him come back to his usual position of power. Along with many of the letters …show more content…

Armies, as seen by Machiavelli, are there to defend the kingdom and expand into new territory. “It is necessary for a prince to have good foundations for himself…”(Ch XII, 48) which means having a successful army fighting for him. Machiavelli advises not to use mercenary or auxiliary units because they are useless and dangerous. They cannot be trusted because they can turn against you as soon as they find a higher offer and “...they do indeed want to be your soldiers while you are not making war, but when war comes, they either flee or leave”(Ch XII, 49). The role of the prince when it comes to his army is the leader. He is the decision maker, the one who hires his soldiers, and the one who is in charge of everyone. A prince should never be ok with winning a battle with alien arms. The only true defeat is when you win with your own men. A prince should, “...never lift his thoughts from the exercise of war…” (Ch XIV, 58). The most important thing is to have a strong army, a strong bond between all the troops and the citizens, and a strong desire to defeat the

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