The Prince

Machiavelli’s Ideal Prince

It seems all the ‘great thinkers’ of ancient times believed that there had to be a class of oppressors who deserved to have control, and a class of the oppressed who should live in subjection of the elite. Machiavelli is no different and believes “men ought either to be well-treated or crushed” (3). In his writing he explains how one determines who in the state is crushed and who will crush them. As he talks about colonizing on page three he believes the natives of one place to be under conquering people because inherent in winning is superiority. Machiavelli even says “he [the ruler] offends a minority only of the citizens from whom he takes lands and houses to give them to the new inhabitants” (3). He is openly saying that the way to rule a state is to charge in to surrounding territory, take other people’s property to...