Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

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Stability in government is the bottom line for every political decision made for that particular government. Regardless of the type of government, or who is in office, everyone desires their position to be secure. Whether or not this equals stability and prosperity for the people is questionable. According to Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince, stability is based upon the ruler alone, and how he gets the people in line does not matter as long as he plays his cards right. Cruelty is acceptable, if he can later divert the outrage to another party, and in so doing make himself look the hero. This totalitarian view of government and authority works for a time, but, when compared with a more republican government, cannot hold ground. Machiavelli …show more content…

It is as if Machiavelli acknowledges the inability of large bodies of people to determine a worthy leader, so his solution is to take from them any ability to have a stake in the decision. This leaves the people devalued, and eventually a people devalued will begin looking up in search of purpose again. Through preserving the right of the people to vote they are given meaning, and appeasement. They are entrusted and consider themselves an integral part of the government that will enforce the laws over …show more content…

However skillful a ruler is at defending themselves against enemies there is one enemy no man can defeat, death. Upon death there will be instability if only briefly as another ruler steps up to fill the vacuum, and establish his own power among the people. The stability of a democratic republican government not only lies on the people of the present, but “to the cumulated efforts of all, past and present, who have contributed…” (Garfield 137). Again the stability is based on the base, the foundation, the people, but not only the contributions of those alive today. Those who contributed over two hundred years ago fighting for revolution helped lay the foundation of stability needed for a strong country. Such foundations that they cannot be touched or moved without serious repercussions against those heinous enough to try. Like a suit of chainmail the strength is invested into each link, while it may be punctured it is never

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