Question

i say that every prince ought to desire to be considered clement and not cruel. nevertheless he ought to take care not to misuse this clemency. cesare borgia was considered cruel; notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the romagna, unified it, and restored it to peace and loyalty. and if this be rightly considered, he will be seen to have been much more merciful than the florentine people, who, to avoid a reputation for cruelty, permitted pistoia to be destroyed. therefore a prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those who, through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise, from which follow murders or robberies; for these are wont to injure the whole people, whilst those executions which originate with a prince offend the individual only.
-the prince,
niccolò machiavelli
machiavellis claim in the passage is that leaders must
machiavellis evidence includes

Explanation:

1. For the first blank: The passage argues that leaders should aim for a reputation for clemency but not avoid necessary cruelty if it keeps subjects unified and loyal; excessive mercy that causes harm to the whole populace is worse than targeted cruelty.
2. For the second blank: The passage uses two contrasting examples: Cesare Borgia, whose cruelty brought peace and unity to Romagna, and the Florentine people, whose over-mercy led to the destruction of Pistoia.

Answer:

1. Machiavelli’s claim in the passage is that leaders must balance clemency with necessary cruelty to keep subjects unified and loyal (prioritize collective peace over avoiding a cruel reputation).
2. Machiavelli’s evidence includes:

• Cesare Borgia's cruelty that reconciled, unified, and brought peace to Romagna
• The Florentine people's excessive mercy that allowed Pistoia to be destroyed