Chapter 20: Those Who Supported The Former Ruler

In chapter XX in ‘The Prince’: ‘Whether the erection of fortresses, and many other things which princes often do, are useful, or injurious’, Machiavelli a.o. states that a new prince should arm his unarmed subjects, and in that way make them as they were his own. A prince who disarms his subjects will offend them. But when a prince acquires a new state, which he annexes to his old possessions, then it is advisable for him to disarm the inhabitants of the new state, except those who, declared themselves in the prince’s favour…. He states that those who at the beginning of a prince’s reign are hostile to him, and who are yet so situated that they need his support for their maintenance, will always be most easily won over by him; and they will be obliged to continue to serve him with the greater fidelity, because of the importance of by good conduct effacing the bad opinion which the prince had formed of them at the beginning. And thus the prince will derive more useful service from these than from those who due to confidence in their security will serve his interests negligently.

To what extent do Machiavelli’s thoughts apply to the roles and responsibilities of modern leaders from different countries, cultures and trades? Do we still have to question the reliability of those who supported a former leader?

Discover The Mind of a Leader…

Participants:
  Jan Carlzon
  Michael S. Dukakis
  Marc Soustrot
  Edward Ashbee
  Lars Håkanson
  Lynda Curtis
  Richard Valdemar