Read this paragraph from chapter 5 of The Prince.
There are, for example, the Spartans and the Romans.
The Spartans held Athens and Thebes, establishing
there an oligarchy: nevertheless they lost them. The
Romans, in order to hold Capua, Carthage, and
Numantia, dismantled them, and did not lose them. They
wished to hold Greece as the Spartans held it, making it
free and permitting its laws, and did not succeed. So to
hold it they were compelled to dismantle many cities in
the country, for in truth there is no safe way to retain
them otherwise than by ruining them. And he who
becomes master of a city accustomed to freedom and
does not destroy it, may expect to be destroyed by it, for
in rebellion it has always the watchword of liberty and its
ancient privileges as a rallying point, which neither time
nor benefits will ever cause it to forget. And whatever
you may do or provide against, they never forget that
name or their privileges unless they are disunited or
Which statement best summarizes the central idea of
the paragraph?
The Spartans and the Romans are alike in how they
retain possession of newly acquired states.
The Spartans and the Romans are alike in their
approach to ruling newly acquired states.
O Observing what happened to the Spartans and the
Romans shows that it is best to destroy a newly
acquired state that is accustomed to freedom.
Observing what happened to the Spartans and the
Romans shows that it is best to establish an oligarchy
in a newly acquired state that is accustomed to
freedom.
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