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Paper Topic:

the prince

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06 May 2007

The Prince

The Prince ' by Niccolo Machiavelli is a historic work dedicated to Lorenzo de ' Medici , the ruler of Florence . The book consists of 26 chapters with a separate plot development . This work is a primary document which contains a lot of historical information about Italy . It helps to understand the values and culture of those times , and provides historical background about de ' Medici

The Prince ' includes theoretical interpretation of the role of politics and a ruler , and

gives practical advice how to keep power and maintain strict control . Machiavelli distinguishes two types of power republics and principalities . The author supposes that the Prince should follow principalities and avoid democracy , which can be a threat for his ruling . In the book Machiavelli discusses the importance of goodwill for a successful ruler , and emphasizes that a ruler should distinguish good and evil . Machiavelli discusses the dependence between religion and state and explains that it is a dangerous thing to mix politics and religion as Popes ' do . It means that political and religious power can be a useful tool in the process of ruling the society . Since love an fear can hardly exist together , if we must choose between them , it is far safer to be feared than loved (Machiavelli , 87 . Also , Machiavelli explains to the Prince the necessity of army and discipline for successful reign , and discusses different tactics . Machiavelli pays attention to morals and personal values of the Prince . Probably , this is the most controversial part of the work which argues that a prince should follow the principle of his own benefit he should not made friends , because they can betray him , etc . At the end of the book the discussions of Italian politics and disunity period are included Machiavelli hopes that the new Prince would be a worthy ruler of Italy I suppose that this is an excellent philosophical and historical document which helps readers to understand the epoch , philosophical ideas and role of power in the Medieval state

Works Cited

Machiavelli , N . The Prince . Bantam Classics , 1984

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