Understanding The Rationale Behind Machiavelli's The Prince

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Understanding the Rationale Behind Machiavelli’s The Prince

Machiavelli’s scientific and rational perspectives are blunt and harsh. His book The Prince is a look into the world of running a state and the basis for gaining respect as a leader. He writes that a state is only created if people cooperate and work to maintain it. Putting faith and trust in the people to really work and understand that everyone has to give to receive is similar to that of a utopian society yet different. Here Machiavelli explains that a state needs to take precedence over everything. This is the same idea for a utopian society. However, in a utopian society everyone is equal and gets no more than the next person. In a Machiavellian society the state is most important and everyone must work for it’s maintenance but everyone is not equal and certain leaders and people can excel further.
Maintaining sovereignty should be the focus of a leader and the people of the state. If one does not work on sustaining the sovereignty of a state it will surely fall apart and be taken over. Further the leader would appear to be weak and cause the state to quickly boot him out of his position. Machiavelli believes strongly that a state should be founded on military power. “It is of such importance that military prowess not only keeps those who have been born rulers in power but also often enables men who have been born private citizens to come to power,” (Machiavelli). By this Machiavelli points out that someone who is already in the blood line to be a ruler needs to work to keep a strong militia, and for those that want to come to rule need to remember that military ability is key. He believes that the strength in militia will show how really strong a leader is. It will allow other leaders to recognize that you hold power over your own people and can conquer anyone that tries to ruin your respective state.
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