Brendan’s Reviews > The Prince > Status Update
Brendan
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“For if the elite fear they will be unable to control the populace, they begin to build up the reputation of one of their own, and they make him sole ruler in order to be able, under his protection, to achieve their objectives. The populace, on the other hand, if they fear they are going to be crushed by the elite, build up the reputation of one of their number and make him sole ruler in order that his authority
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his authority may be employed in their defense.”
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What Machiavelli did not consider, of course, is that the respective ‘champion’ of each of the classes could be one and the same man….
“The worst a ruler who is opposed by the populace has to fear is that they will give him no support; but from the elite he has to fear not only lack of support, but worse, that they will attack him. For the elite have more foresight and more cunning; they act in time to protect themselves, and seek to ingratiate themselves with rivals for power.”
