In The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli explores human nature in the context of governing and being governed. In the letter to Lorenzo de' Medici that prefaces the text, Machiavelli explains that he has studied extensively "the deeds of great men" and that he knows well "contemporary things and a continuous study of the ancient world" (Machiavelli 3). From these studies of the history and nature of both the common man and princes, Machiavelli concluded that the surest way to maintain a city or territory is to raze it to the ground, and that men soon forget the loss of their father. other than the loss of their assets. Both of these statements concern the confiscation of wealth and resources; however, they contradict each other in that destroying an entire city is equivalent to stealing a person's wealth, which humans do not easily forget. As a result, although scattered and lacking in resources, the refugees from the demolished city will become bitter towards the prince and seek revenge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In chapter seventeen, Machiavelli states “above all, a prince must abstain from the property of others; because men forget the death of their father sooner than the loss of their inheritance" (55). The reason for this is that a man whose father was killed is less often reminded of his loss than a man whose entire estate was taken away from him. For the poor man, every day he lives in poverty serves as a bitter reminder of the wrong done to him by the prince. A man who has lost all his possessions is a dangerous adversary because he has nothing left to lose. What can you take away from someone who has already lost everything they worked for all their life. Given the context of The Prince, the people Machiavelli is talking about are most likely the aristocracy and not the common man. These upper class men have had their wealth and land in their family for generations. It may seem that Machiavelli is exaggerating the brutal and self-centered nature of man by saying that men care more about money than their own flesh and blood, but the truth is that more blame can be placed on a ruler who confiscates possessions than to another. who executes individuals. For this reason, those who have lost their possessions will be more likely to seek revenge, since more problems can be attributed to the prince who robbed them of their riches. Similar to these ideas on asset confiscation, chapter five is about resource management. After a city has been conquered, the best way to hold it firmly is, according to Machiavelli, to devastate it. If the buildings are left standing, they will serve as a constant reminder of the freedom that the area's residents once enjoyed. Buildings become a symbol of past happiness and freedom, especially in republics. The justification for razing the city, therefore, lies in the nature of the inhabitants, since "when there is a rebellion, such a city justifies itself by invoking the name of freedom and its ancient institutions, never forgotten despite the passage of time and the benefits received by the new sovereign” (Machiavelli 18). Machiavelli provides the historical examples of the Spartans and the Romans. The Spartans attempted to rule Athens and Thebes through the existing oligarchic structure, but ultimately lost the cities. The Romans, on the other hand, destroyed Capua, Carthage and Numantia after conquering them and therefore never lost possession of them. While it is relatively obvious that these two statements are related as they both concern how the prince should manage the estate, in reality they are much more.