te that the establishment of armed forces was a necessity for one's own safety as a leader. Although he was a supporter of maintaining and army, Machiavelli strongly opposed the use of mercenaries and the assistance of foreign armies. Also, in such respect, Machiavelli declined the notion of a fortified city-state, in stating, "The best fortress is to be found in the love of the people."
             Machiavelli had a unique view on both internal and external sovereignty. Machiavelli's view on internal sovereignty is such that those in power have to be able to act in the interest of his subjects. In regards to different ways of coming to power, Machiavelli has a separate strategy for maintaining rule in each. For a ruler that gained power with the support of the masses, one must take into consideration the likes of those that brought the prince to power. This type of riles must lay a solid foundation in the trust of all his people, both the elite and the working class. "... I would point out there are two ways to such power: the support of the populace or the favor of the elite. For in every city one finds these two opposed classes. They are at odds because the populace do not want to be ordered about or oppressed by the elite; and the elite want to order about and oppress the populace. The conflict between these two irreconcilable ambitions has in each city one of t!
             hree possible consequences: rule by one man, liberty, or anarchy." (Machiavelli pp31) If the populace fears oppression by the bourgeoisie, they will in turn have suspicion about those in power. Machiavelli states in this, a leader without the support of his own people is weak and left vulnerable. This prince must weigh out an equal balance between the elite and the populace.
             In regards to external sovereignty, Machiavelli focuses on the art of war. He believes that a ruler should develop common allies in which there is interdependenc...