100POINTS! Today the name Machiavelli suggests ruthlessness, ambition, and backstabbing politics. What idea in Machiavelli's book, The Prince, gave him this reputation?

Select one:

a. the idea that rulers and leaders should treat their subjects with compassion, above all else

b. the idea that rulers and leads should be guided by ambition, not by their moral or religious beliefs

c. the idea that power should belong to the wealthiest people in a society

d. the idea that power should be passed down through families from father to son