Read this passage from Chapter 5 of "The Prince":

"There are, for example, the Spartans and the Romans. The Spartans held Athens and Thebes, establishing there an oligarchy: nevertheless they lost them. The Romans, in order to hold Capua, Carthage, and Numantia, dismantled them, and did not lose them. They wished to hold Greece as the Spartans held it, making it free and permitting its laws, and did not succeed. So to hold it they were compelled to dismantle many cities in the country, for in truth there is no safe way to retain them otherwise than by ruining them. And he who becomes master of a city accustomed to freedom and does not destroy it, may expect to be destroyed by it, for in rebellion it has always the watchword of liberty and its ancient privileges as a rallying point, which neither time nor benefits will ever cause it to forget. And whatever you may do or provide against, they never forget that name or their privileges unless they are disunited or dispersed."

What text evidence supports Machiavelli's primary purpose to persuade readers that a conquering prince must destroy a former republic if he hopes to hold it? Select three options.

A. The list of cities Rome and Sparta conquered
B. The portrayal of Greece as being held by Sparta
C. The explanation of how Rome held Capua, Carthage, and Numantia
D. The description of liberty as a rallying cry for rebellion in former republics
E. The example of the Florentines losing control over Pisa



Answer :

Final answer:

Machiavelli stresses the necessity of destroying former republics to maintain power, highlighting liberty as a potent force in uprisings and contrasting Rome's assimilative approach.


Explanation:

Machiavelli argues that a conquering prince must destroy a former republic to hold it based on several points in the text:

  1. The description of liberty as a rallying cry for rebellion in former republics: Machiavelli emphasizes how liberty and ancient privileges serve as rallying points for rebellion.
  2. The explanation of how Rome held Capua, Carthage, and Numantia: Rome's strategy of dismantling conquered cities to prevent losing control supports the idea of destroying to maintain power.
  3. What was the ruin of Sparta and Athens: Emphasizes on how rejecting conquered people led to the fall of powerful states, contrasting with Rome's approach of assimilation and integration.

Learn more about Machiavelli's views on conquering and holding former republics here:

https://brainly.com/question/27938120


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