Which italian renaissance thinker believed that italy needed strong, even ruthless, leaders and wrote the prince to show how rulers can keep power?
a.
cesare borgia
b.
erasmus
c.
machiavelli
d.
cosimo de' medici

The writer of the Prince and the Italian philosopher who developed theories and methods to maintain power's name is Machiavelli so the answer is C. 

Lincoln believed the south and north should be unified and should look to rebuild together as fast as possible. While, on the other hand, Johnson believed in firmly punishing the south and focused on punishment on the south which caused for a slower reconstruction period.