blics and monarchies. He then divides monarchies into two categories: heredity monarchies which have existed for sometime, and new monarchies that have been established either through war or good fortune. The Prince deals entirely with monarchies because he addresses the topic of republics in another work. Heredity monarchies are much easier to rule than the new ones because the people are used to being ruled. They no longer have the desire to change their form of government. Yet if you acquire a new territory you need to get rid of any people who might make claims to the throne. You have to be very careful not to rule like a tyrant. You need to win your people over. He also says that it is best to live in the new territory you acquire. The people will more often than not be more loyal to you, and you can help keep some control over the new territory. The opening chapters of The Prince establish a pattern that Machiavelli follows throughout the book. He describes the principles that allow a monarch to retain power. Yet Machiavelli concerns himself mainly with the acquisition and retention of power. He sees common people as object that can be easily manipulated for the ruler’s benefit. They have no rights. Anything that didn’t keep the monarch in power or served to expand his power was of no consequence politically. Hobbes takes a different approach to political theory. His views are almost scientific and his approach emphasizes God’s creation of logic and so how through this, man created politics. In his monarchy, the ruler was still seen as having absolute power and authority, but his authority was believed to come from the people. The people had their own rights within the political system. Yet for a society to work, the people need to surrender their rights to the absolute monarch. When they sign away their rights, they let him act in their name. So now the people can’t impose moral rest...
