Machiavellian ideology often contradicts conventional ideas about how a prince should rule. It justifies cruelty but only to bolster a prince's power when necessary. Principalities are undoubtedly dynamic in action and thought. Machiavelli makes this a pervasive theme throughout The Prince and although it is possible to achieve a principality in several ways, Machiavelli believed that those who rule do so to push people around. According to him “it is a very natural and ordinary thing to desire to acquire, and always, when men who can do it, they will be praised or not blamed” (Machiavelli 14). While principalities are inherently powerful, you still need to establish a strong military and hone your skills in the art of war. To begin with, Machiavelli believed that a prince should "take as his art nothing but that of war and its orders." and discipline” (Machiavelli 58). In chapter...