Part 6/8:
Machiavelli's insights resonate with 20th-century historian Arnold Toynbee, who shared similar ideas. Toynbee observed that societies weak enough to rely on mercenaries were on a path to decline and that employing non-native soldiers invited dangerous intelligence about the state. His reference to the fall of Rome highlights how reliance on mercenaries lowered Roman military effectiveness, ultimately leading to the city's vulnerability to external attacks.