"The Prince"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Niccolo Machiavelli, dedicated his book, "The Prince", to Lorenzo de Medici, whom he urged to read his book and follow his advice. It examines how, having pleaded his case, Machiavelli goes right to the point of his book, how principalities are acquired, governed, and preserved. It also looks at how Machiavelli describes the three types of principalities, hereditary, new, and mixed.

From the Paper:

"There are four ways a new prince can acquire a principality, by his own arms, by the arms of others, by evil means, or by civil means. A principality that is acquired by a prince and his own means is most secure. Machiavelli lists a few princes who acquired their principality through their own abilities. These included Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, and Theseus. They ruled successfully because they were armed, and even though it was hard to come to power, once they were there, it was easy for them to maintain it. On the other hand, Savaronola, a Dominican friar, lost his power because he was not armed, and once his message was no longer accepted, he lost control. "

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