a little political philosophy worth reading read this through once or twice then replace prince with government or president as appropriate and read it again from chapter xx of the prince by n macchiavelli as translated by daniel donno in order to keep their lands secure some princes have disarmed their subjects others have prompted division within the cities they have subjugated some have nurtured animosities against themselves others have sought to win the approval of those they initially distrusted some have erected fortresses others have destroyed them now although it is impossible to set down definite judgements on all of these measures without considering the particular circumstances of the states where they may be employed i shall nevertheless discuss them in such broad terms as the subject itself will allow to begin with there has never been a case of a new prince disarming his subjects indeed whenever he found them disarmed he proceeded to arm them for by arming your subjects you make their arms your own those among them who are suspicious become loyal while those who are already loyal remain so and from subjects they are transformed into partisans though you cannot arm them all nonetheless you increase your safety among those you leave unarmed by extending privileges to those you arm your different treatment of the two categories will make the latter feel obligated to you while the former will consider it proper thoat those who assume added duties and dangers should receive advantages when you disarm your subjects however you offend them by showing that either from cowardliness or from lack of faith you distrust them and either conclusion will induce them to hate you moreover since it is impossible for you to remain unarmed you would have to resort to mercenaries whose limitations have already been discussed even if such troops were good however they could never be good enough to defend you from powerful enemies and doubtful subjects therefore as i have said a new prince in a newly acquired state has always taken measures to arm his subjects and history is full of examples proving that this is so but when a prince takes posession of a new state which he annexes as an addition to his original domain then he must disarm all the subjects of the new state except those who helped him to acquire it and these as time and occasion permit he must seek to render soft and weak he must arrange matters in such a way that the arms of the entire state will be in the hands of soldiers who are native to his original domain and since the subject demands it i will not fail to remind any prince who has acquired a new state by the aid of its inhabitants that he soundly consider what induced them to assist him if the reason is not natural affection for him but rather dissatisfaction with the former government he will find it extremely difficult to keep them friendly for it will be impossible to please them if he will carefully think the matter through in the light of examples drawn from ancient and modern affairs he will understand why it is much easier to win the favor of those who were happy with their former government and hence were his enemies than to keep the favor of those who out of dissatisfaction with the former rule helped him to replace it
