Weston's+Stuff

__Chapter 10__
An example of the argument for a standing army in our nations history occurs after the revolutionary war. After the war, there was much debating and arguments of weather or not our nation should hold a standing army. On one hand, those opposed argued that the militia had done fine when defending our nation against one of the most powerful armies in the world at the time. On the other hand, those for a standing army argued that the soldiers would be better trained and ready to fight at a moments notice, giving the country even greater military stability. Then, during the War of 1812, the American forces proved only strong enough to defend their land on their own terrain. Nearly all offensive attacks proved to be failures, showing that the military did not pack the power to push forward, but only to defend and fight on their own turf. After this war, the United States passed a law to gradually increase their military power over several years and create a more stable army. Thus agreeing with Machiavelli's principle of standing armies.

__Chapter 11__
A modern day example of people putting religion over the government is presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Governor Romney is a Mormon and there are many that have written him off for being Mormon and haven't bothered to learn his beliefs on political issues, or if they have, they have disregarded them becaues of his Mormonism. There are many people in the United States today that put their own religious beliefs in front of what is or may be best for the government they live in. People have been taught that their religion is correct and that the others are all wrong. There can't be a Mormon president in the eyes of many american citizens because of the the "fact" that mormonism is wrong. In this case, Machiavelli's ideas on religion and government are incorrect. I do not believe that religion will always best rule.

__Chapter 12__
In chapter 12 Machiavelli talks about mercenaries and the dangers of using them. During the War of 1812 Britain tried to use mercenaries to help suppress the American's. The mercenaries fought for the British until the tables started to turn to America's favor. Once that happened, the mercenaries either left the war entirley or were hired by the Americans to fight against their former employers. This proves that Machiavelli was correct when he stated tha mercenaries are not to be trusted during times of war. If they don't turn on you, their leaders are ambitious and greedy for self imporvement and won't hesitate to sell you out.

__Chapter 13__
Chapter 13 of Machiavelli's, The Prince, states that auxillary troops from another country should never be used unless it is a last resort. This is expressed during the American Revolutionary War. France loaned their troops and navy to the United State's cause. After the war was won, France started their own revolution inspired by the Americans. This sparked heated debates in the United States as to weather or not we should go to the aid of France. One argument was that they had helped us during our revolution and that it was our obligation to help them in theirs becasue of this. The counter argument was that it was in America's best wishes to stay out of European affairs. This argument caused much unrest in American politics and foreign policy at the time. It also led to many other disagreements and problems that had to be solved. This proves Machiavelli's statement of foreign auxillary troops to tbe true.

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