Read the passage from chapter 8 of The Prince. Agathocles, the Sicilian, became King of Syracuse not only from a private but fro
m a low and abject position. This man, the son of a potter, through all the changes in his fortunes always led an infamous life. Nevertheless, he accompanied his infamies with so much ability of mind and body that, having devoted himself to the military profession, he rose through its ranks to be Praetor of Syracuse. Being established in that position, and having deliberately resolved to make himself prince and to seize by violence, without obligation to others, that which had been conceded to him by assent, he came to an understanding for this purpose with Amilcar, the Carthaginian, who, with his army, was fighting in Sicily. One morning he assembled the people and the senate of Syracuse, as if he had to discuss with them things relating to the Republic, and at a given signal the soldiers killed all the senators and the richest of the people; these dead, he seized and held the princedom of that city without any civil commotion. Which statement best evaluates the effectiveness of the evidence used to support the claim that cruelty is a necessary part of leadership? The evidence uses stories of historical figures to support the claim. The evidence uses examples of extreme violence to support the claim. The evidence uses examples of people’s behavior long ago to support the claim. The evidence uses data and statistics to support the claim.
The correct answer is the option that reads “The evidence uses stories of historical figures to support the claim.”. Taken from the book called “<em>The Prince</em>” by Niccolò Machiavelli (1532), the author supported his argument that cruelty is a necessary part of leadership with the story of <u>a famous, Greek tyrant named Agathocles</u> who gained power by criminal means. For instance, in the passage the author narrates an example of cruelty when Agathocles called the Senate and the citizens for a meeting, and then killed them all so as to hold the princedom of that city.
