POLI 4082 : Political Theory Midterm
Document Summary
Machiavelli believes that good laws follow naturally from a good military. His famous statement that the presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound laws describes the relationship between developing states and war in the prince. Machiavelli reverses the conventional understanding of war as a necessary, but not definitive, element of the development of states, and instead asserts that successful war is the very foundation upon which all states are built. 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. 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. To remain in power, a prince must avoid the hatred of his people.
