30 POINTS!! What is Machiavelli's primary purpose in writing this
passage?
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
mot succeed. So to hold it hrey were compelled to
dismantle many cities in the country, for in truth there
s no safe way to retain them otherwise than by
uining them. And he who becomes master of a city
ccustomed to freedom and does not destroy it, may
xpect to be destroyed by it, for in rebellion it has
lways the watchword of liberty and its ancient
rivileges as a rallying point, which neither time nor
enefits will ever cause it to forget And whatever you
ay do or provide against they never forget that
O to inform readers about the history of Rome and
Sparta and how they built their empires
O to inform readers about the fates of the cities
conquered by the Spartans and the Romans
O to persuade readers that a conquering prince must
destroy a former republic if he hopes to hold it
o to persuade readers that a republic will remember
freedom and someday rebel against a conqueror