People are powerful in any political system; it is just how much powerful they are that the kind of the government determines. In the principality, people are powerful because in order to become a prince and keep the principality in glory for a long time “it is necessary for a prince to have the friendship of the people; otherwise he has no remedy in times of adversity.”
(Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 33) This rule is also applicable to the composite principalities where
“no matter how powerful one’s armies, in order to enter a country one needs the goodwill of the inhabitants.” (Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 6) From this comes that people play the vital role in choosing who will rule over them, just as Machiavelli expressed this idea later in
(Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 33) This rule is also applicable to the composite principalities where
“no matter how powerful one’s armies, in order to enter a country one needs the goodwill of the inhabitants.” (Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 6) From this comes that people play the vital role in choosing who will rule over them, just as Machiavelli expressed this idea later in