Separating Political Conduct and Personal Morality in...

Separating Political Conduct and Personal Morality in Niccolà ² Machiavellis, The Prince Niccolà ² Machiavelli wrote, in his novel The Prince, that strong central political leadership was more important than anything else, including religion and moral behavior. Machiavelli, writing during a period of dramatic change known as the Italian Renaissance, displayed attitudes towards many issues, mostly political, which supported his belief that strong government was the most important element in society. These attitudes and ideas were very appropriate for the time because they stressed strong, centralized power, the only kind of leadership that seemed to be working throughout Europe, and which was the element Italy was lacking. Machiavelli†¦show more content†¦These events and people left impressions on him that would become recommendations for strong, ruthless, central government in his writings. Machiavelli stated that princes needed to be harsh in their treatment of both mixed principalities (new and old principalities combined) and new principalities. There is in all new and mixed principalities a natural hazard... the willingness of men to change one lord for another, believing thus to improve their lot. To avoid against rebellions, the prince must be very harsh, disarm the populace, and always be cautious. It is easier for a prince to hold control after he has already subdued one rebellion, for he can use it as an excuse to establish himself more solidly, by strengthening his power. To retain control of a city is much more difficult than acquiring control of a city according to Machiavelli. After a city is acquired, there are three ways of keeping control of it, the first is to destroy it, the second is to go there in person, and the third is... setting up a government composed of a few men who will keep it friendly to you. Once a prince takes control of a city, he must not forget it, for it can easily be lost. Even if following one of Machiavellis three ways to keep a city, it is still possible to lose control. Rebellions were commonplace in Renaissance Italy, and to protect against them it was necessary to constantly keep the city under the princes