According to Machiavelli, new principalities can be harder to maintain due to their unfamiliarity with the new ruler in question. With hereditary states, the family in power will stay in power for generations and the people will have become accustom to them to the point where they will most likely follow their ruler's orders. But in a new principality, he explains that the people are more likely to resist a new ruler that they do not know and revolt. These revolts may not always be successful, he adds. But the resistance will cause problems for the rulers even if they are unsuccessful. Machiavelli comments on how a prince has the right to deal with any uprisings he may experience in his new territory but he also exercises caution. He claims that the people have a natural response of resisting a new prince that enters their territory and that the new prince cannot truly punish them if he is trying to win their support. The new prince will be in the debt of the people he becomes ruler of for their acceptance of him, which puts him in a tight spot. Machiavelli recommends brutal political actions be taken in order to maintain power, particularly through the extermination of the new principality's former ruler's influence and maintaining the old methods of ruling so that the people do not resist. In order to maintain newly obtained power, Machiavelli claims that one must ruthlessly crush opposition and prevent future threats by handling all situations relating to them seriously. He concludes his arguments here by saying that in order to stay in power in ruling a new principality or a hereditary state, he would recommend a hereditary state over the two. .
Machiavelli continues to provide comparisons to which methods of ruling are easier than others and further highlights the actions that need to be taken to obtain and maintain power. He mentions that it is much easier to rule over a land that speaks the same language as those in power because communication is key.