Machiavelli The Prince Research Paper

820 Words4 Pages
The type of government that would be created if a Machiavellian prince were to lead would be beneficial solely to the prince, as the prince would have absolute power of the state and would be able to ruthlessly destroy anyone who stood in his way. The people wouldn’t be able to trust each other, or the government, as the ruler would attempt to deceive them at all points. The rich elite class could have all their power given or taken whenever the ruler felt like it. Meanwhile, the prince would be completely alone and unthreatened at the top of the political hierarchy, and it would take an incredible effort to dethrone him. The people in such a society would be woefully misinformed and ignorant of events going on inside and outside of their society, meaning the prince could control everything they think and believe. Machiavelli states “ it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic, and to be a great pretender…show more content…
The prince is advised that if he catered to the needs of the nobles, they would believe themselves to be equal to him and perhaps look to rebel against him. A prince therefore would look to limit the power of the nobles, making them less happy and prosperous in this society. Machiavelli says that a prince “can do well without the same nobles, being able to make and unmake them daily, and to give or take away authority when it pleases him”(11). The idea that the prince would be able to completely take away all of an elite person’s power and status in such a short time would not be a welcome one to the nobles. However, since they are few in number, it would be hard for them to rise against the Machiavellian prince. Not only would this type of ruler not benefit the people, but it would also take away almost all of the freedom and power that the nobles

More about Machiavelli The Prince Research Paper

Open Document