The Prince - Test Prep

6,7,15,17,18,19,25

Ch6 In what modes can private citizens become princes? which is better/worse and why?

fortune (bad) - circumstances under such a rule are unstable and unsustainable.

virtue (good) - the more you rely on virtue, the stronger your rule will be as you have more power and control.

Big 4 Founders

Moses (Israel), Cyrus (Persia), Romulus (Rome), and Theseus (Athens)

What does NM say about the relationship between Moses and the other 3?

They were all one and the same because they were all armed prophets.

Main takeaway of chapter 6

Princes who acquire a state through their own ability/virtue have great difficulty in gaining power but find it very easy to maintain their rule afterwards.

Explain the archer metaphor.

Princes should aim higher than the paths of the past “great men” - even if they may not supersede these men - in order to know where they stand and be able to achieve the highest possible success in their plans. 

explain armed prophets vs. unarmed prophets and give examples.

the greatest foundings of principalities will always and only be accomplished by the armed prophet. the unarmed prophet is destined to lose. 

• if given the choice between arms and prophecy, choose arms.

ex. moses ordered the sons of levi to kill those who worshipped the false idol 

ex. brother savonarola - an unarmed prophet that became florence’s de facto ruler, but he had no arms to defend himself so when people came to doubt his rule he was eventually executed. 

What is Virtue to NM (vs the conventional definition)

Virtue is one’s ability to attain and maintain a state. it has nothing to do with the conventional definition that includes morality.

What is the primary difficulty when establishing a new principality as a new prince?

the incredulity of men when one establishes new orders: when one does this he makes enemies of those who benefitted from the old order and his lukewarm supporters.

What does NM propose about rhetoric, force, and the incredulity of men?

You can make people believe in your new order through force if rhetoric fails (which it always will because the populace is fickle and will eventually stop believing your new order out of their own will)

What is the relationship between fortune and virtue for NM?

Virtue is the skill and ability of the prince, while fortune should only provide the opportunity for a prince to establish power. A prince with great virtue can recognize and seize an opportunity that fortune presents.

takeaway for chapter 7

Princes who acquire a state through fortune or with the help of others gain power easily but have extreme difficulty maintaining it because they lack a solid foundation.

name the ancient and contempoprary examples of chapter 7

ancient:

1. darius gave cities to the greeks to rule over, they lost them

2. roman emperors elected by their soldiers

contemporary:

1. francsico sforza

2. cesare borgia

Who is Machiavelli's primary example of a prince who gained power by fortune? name how he failed and  succeeded.

Cesare Borgia. He was given his state by his father, Pope Alexander VI, but Machiavelli praises him for using incredible virtue to try and secure it

• failed due to his father’s sudden death and his own sickness. actually failed because he let julius ii be elected as pope

how is romagna an example of cruelty well used?

borgia instilled messer remirro de orco into romagna. his extremely cruelty lowered crimes and then executed him after crime lowered. he instileld orco to redirect the hate to him and then executed him in order to appease the masses. sets up a civil court with a president in order to give the illusion of “legality” (thus legitimizing himself)

What was Borgia’s actual downfall and what does that say about fortune accroding to NM?

Borgia’s actual downfall was allowing Julius ii (his father’s enemy) to be elected as pope. It’s a reassurance to the readers that fortune can always be controlled (even an individual so virtuous as cesare borgia didn’t succumb to fortune, but his own mistakes in the end).

What is the central argument to chapter 15 (and to the entire book)?

A prince must learn “how not to be good” and use this knowledge according to necessity. / a prince needs to learn how not to be good/moral in order to be good (virtuous). He needs to focus on the effectual truth of reality, not imaginary, idea states where rulers are perfectly virtuous (he can’t listen to the bible as living for anything else but yourself and your state will ruin you). 

Why does Machiavelli insist that a prince must learn how to act immorally?

Because a prince that insists on being good all the time will inevitably be ruined; the usrvival of the prince and the state is the ultimate goal, which requires acting against conventional morality

​​What is Machiavelli's advice regarding a prince's reputation for virtues and vices?

A prince should not worry about gaining a bad reputation for vices that are necessary to save the state. He should, however, avoid vices that would cause him to lose his state.

How does Machiavelli redefine "virtue" and "vice" for a ruler?

Perceived “virtues” will destroy you, and perceived “vices” are actually virtues for a prince and will save you; the value of an action is judged by its political outcome, not its moral quality.

Centeal takeaway of chapter 17 

A prince should strive to be both, however when push comes to shove It is better to be feared than loved. 

Why is fear a more reliable tool for a prince than love?

Because love is held by a "chain of obligation" which men, being wicked, will break whenever it serves their purpose. Fear, however, is maintained by a "dread of punishment which never fails."

What is the most important limit a prince must observe when using fear?

He must avoid being hated byt he people at all costs.

How can a prince be feared without being hated?

By abstaining from the property and the women of his subjects (private lives and property). As long as a prince does not rob his people of their possessions or their honor, he will not be hated.

Who does Machiavelli use as a prime example of a leader whose cruelty and fearfulness were assets?

Hannibal. His "inhuman cruelty," combined with his other great virtues, kept his massive, diverse army united and disciplined.

Should prices have faith/ keep their word? 

not if the reason for keeping his word is no more.

Two kinds of combat and what nm says about them

 Laws (human) and force (beast). A successful prince will combine both 

What animals represent force?

Fox and lion - be both to defend oneself against “wolves” and be able to identify “traps” 

Who is a master of deception to nm??

Pope alexander VI; he never keeps his promises but always achieves his goals 

What does NM say about appearing virtuous??

Princes should appear to be merciful/faithful, humane, honest, but most of all religious. However they should not actually be these things- especially new princes who need to maintain his state

Why is it most important to appear religious? 

• People only see you from afar but they cannot know you personally (and religion immediately associates a person with morality)

•  There is a court of judgement among the people, thus they will only look at the outcome

Cite a figure who used his religious appearance well and what that did for his power

Ferdinand the Catholic, under the cover of religion he did various campaigns

• Campaigns kept nobles busy and the people ina constant state of suspense/admiration

Why is it important for a prince to avoid being despised?

Being despised makes a prince vulnerable. A prince is despised when he is considered effeminate, cowardly, fickle, irresolute, or weak. The subjects will not respect or follow a prince with these qualities.

What does nm say about having a high reputation?

High rep=difficult to attack 

What two fears does a prince have?

Their subjects and external powers 

What is Machiavelli's advice for a prince regarding the people versus the nobles?

A prince should try not to antagonize the nobles and to keep the people happy.  The people hating you is facilitates conspiracies)

What is the most powerful remedy against conspiracies? Give example

Not being hated by the people. 

Ex. canneschi family killed the bentigovli family head and then the people killed the entire family.

Who are the two roman emperors princes should imitate and why?

Marcus Aurelius (qualities in maintaining his state and glory)

Severus (qualities in attaining his state); personified both the fox and the lion in deceiving albinus and killing niger to rise to power

Cite the two metaphors for fortune. 

1. A violent river: fortune floods and destroys everything in its path. During calm times, a prince can prepare for the flood by building dikes and dams (using his virtue) 

2.  A woman: can use force/”be beaten”into submission; can become a friend to the young and bold

Should a prince be impetuous or cautious? 

Impetuous; fortune is more likely to be conquered by those who are forceful and aggressive rather than those who are hesitant. 

What is Machiavelli's conclusion about the balance between fortune and free will?

He argues that fortune governs about half of our actions, and that the other half is under our control through our free will. A prince's success is determined by his ability to act decisively when fortune presents an opportunity.

Who is an example of an impetuous leader? What was his drawback? 

Pope Julius II: achiavelli praises him for his swift, decisive, and often reckless actions, which brought him great success and proved that a bold approach is often more effective than a cautious one. However NM says that if the times had called for prince to move cautiously, Julius II would’ve been ruined because he would not be able to change his ways. 

What does NM say about flexibility and fortune?

Fortune can 100% be conquered if a prince is able to adapt his ruling to what the times requroe of him (violence, peace, impetuousity, etc), however it is almost impossible for a prince to change his ways once he has found something that works for him (at the time)