Prince+Summaries

**The Prince: Chapters XIV-XXIV Summary**

Warcraft: Machiavelli believes that good laws follow naturally from a good military. Machiavelli describes the relationship between developing states and war in The Prince. Much of The Prince is devoted to describing exactly what it means to conduct a good war: how to effectively fortify a city, how to treat subjects in newly acquired territories, and how to prevent domestic insurrection that would distract from a successful war. But Machiavelli’s description of war encompasses more than just the direct use of military force. It comprises international diplomacy, domestic politics, tactical strategy, geographic mastery, and historical analysis. Within the context of Machiavelli’s Italy—when cities were constantly threatened by neighboring principalities and the area had suffered through power struggles for many years—his method of viewing almost all affairs of state through a military lens was a timely innovation in political thinking.


 * Chapter Quotes related to themes:**
 * "A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, not take up any proffessionbut that of war, its methods and its discicipline, for that only art expected of a ruler" (chapter 14)
 * "when fortune turns against him he wil be prepatred to resist it." (chapter 14)

Goodwill and hatred In order to remain in power, a prince must avoid the hatred of his people. It is not necessary for him to be loved; it is often better for him to be feared. Being hated can cause a prince’s downfall. It might seem bad, but Machiavelli advocates the use of cruelty only insofar as it does not compromise the long-term goodwill of the people. The people’s goodwill is always the best defense against both domestic insurrection and foreign aggression. Machiavelli warns princes against doing things that might result in hatred, such as the confiscation of property or the dissolution of traditional institutions. Even installations that are normally valued for military use, such as fortresses, should be judged primarily on their potential to garner support for the prince. Only when he is absolutely sure that the people who hate him will never be able to rise against him can a prince cease to worry about incurring the hatred of any of his subjects. However, obtaining the goodwill of the people has little or nothing to do with a desire for the overall happiness of the populace. Instead goodwill is a political instrument to ensure the stability of the prince’s reign


 * Chapter Quotes related to themes:**
 * "it would be best to be be bothed loved and feared. But since the two rarely cometogether, anyone can compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved." (chapter 17"
 * "a prince must have the qualities of both a fox and a lion; one is is useless with out the other. a fox can recognize snares, but not drive away wolves. while the lion can drive away the wolves, but not recognize the snares."(chapter 18)

Freewill Machiavelli often uses the words “prowess” and “fortune” to describe two distinct ways in which a prince can come to power. “Prowess” refers to an individual’s talents, while “fortune” implies chance or luck. Part of Machiavelli’s purpose in writing The Prince is to investigate how much of a prince’s success or failure is caused by his own free will and how much is determined by nature or the environment in which he lives. In Chapter XXV, Machiavelli discusses the role of fortune in determining human affairs. He attempts to compromise between free will and determinism by arguing that fortune controls half of human actions and leaves the other half to free will. He also argues that through foresight people can shield themselves against fortune. Thus, Machiavelli can be described as confident in the power of human beings to shape their destinies to a degree, but equally confident that human control over events is never absolute.


 * Chapter Quotes related to themes:**
 * "a prince must have the qualities of both a fox and a lion; one is is useless with out the other. a fox can recognize snares, but not drive away wolves. while the lion can drive away the wolves, but not recognize the snares."(chapter 18)

Virtue Machiavelli defines virtues as qualities that are praised by others, such as generosity, compassion, and piety. He argues that a prince should always try to appear virtuous, but that acting virtuously for virtue’s sake can prove detrimental to the principality. A prince should not necessarily avoid vices such as cruelty or dishonesty if employing them will benefit the state. Every action the prince takes must be considered in light of its effect on the state, not in terms of its moral value.


 * Chapter Quotes related to themes:**
 * "a princemust respect the nobility, but avoid the hatred of the common people." (chapter 19)