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Hatred In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

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In The Prince (1532), Machiavelli lists elements a prince should have. The biggest thing Machiavelli cautions against is breeding hatred. He claims that “[…] a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others; he must endeavor only to avoid hatred” (Machiavelli 82). Hatred will lead to loss of control. If the civilians hate the prince, then they have control over him. With this control, they could stage a revolt and displace the prince. The prince, with no control, has no option other than to respond with detrimental actions in an attempt to subdue the hatred and his impending removal. Machiavelli argues that this sequence of events can be avoided entirely by preventing hatred from starting in the first place. If the prince does this, then he controls how the civilians perceive him and he can act in ways to limit their desire to overthrow him. Thus, hatred should be avoided at all costs. However, Machiavelli also support the “squandering” of other nations, which would breed hatred. Machiavelli establishes that “it does not take away your reputation if you squander that of others, but …show more content…

If there is hatred in the prince’s civilians, then there is revolt and the prince will be dethroned. If there is hatred in the foreign civilians, then there is war. But once the prince wins the war, he will gain control of the enemy state. The foreign civilians that hated him will fall under his domain. While the new civilians will hate the prince at first, this hatred will fade as they realize the extent of the prince’s protection. The prince will stop promoting hatred and treat them better than they were treated before. The civilians will also experience a greater sense of safety under the prince, who is stronger than their previous ruler. The new civilians can rest assured that they are properly protected and

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