How Did Machiavelli Give Up Politics

Machiavelli concentrated more on the way things should be and how to manipulate them for his own personal gain rather than for the betterment of the state. He was well-known for being a political thinker who believed that outcomes justified why things happened. A key aspect of Machiavelli’s concept of the Prince was that “men must either be caressed or annihilated” (Prince, 9). What Machiavelli meant by

Niccolo Machiavelli was a politician and writer of the Renaissance period in Florence. In one of his works ‘The Prince’ he discusses the great ways a ruler can become king and a little insight on how leaders can gain control and maintain it. He talks a lot about military affiliations and how important they are to remain in power. He also references Italy and their political situations as an example to their downfall to make his points and the idea of a Machiavellian leader.

Niccolo Machiavelli, a Renaissance philosopher and historian, is regarded as one of the founders of classical political philosophy and political science. To this day, scholars continue to debate whether the Florencian writer is more sympathetic to the few or the many. With some of his texts containing views contradicting the others, it is difficult to contend whether or not the philosopher is a true democrat. Despite many of Machiavelli’s seemingly democratic views and ideas, his personal ideology appears to be more of a Republican nature. His republicanism is most informed by his remarks on the people, nobles, and ideal state structure. Through analysis of his writings in ‘The Prince’ and ‘The Discourses’, and his ‘Letter to Francesco Vettori,

“Machiavelli wrote The Prince following the fall of the Florentine republic and the re-installation of the Medicis in power.” (Prof. Harkey) Given this detail, it is important to note that it made a significant impact on the society as well as the author. Machiavelli’s pushes for a government that obtains and maintains power through any means necessary. He considers himself worthy of disposing the necessary methodology under the premise that he served in modern political affairs for years and that as an individual who was ruled over, he knows what a ruler calls for. While Machiavelli’s idea of religion is not something the Catholic Church would endorse, he realizes the power it has in shaping ideals. He asks the question about whether it would be best to be feared or loved as a ruler. Personally, he expresses that it would be safer for the ruler to be feared than to be loved but if possible, he should aim to have both. His support for this idea is not unlike the agenda his ruler would have. Machiavelli believes that the nature of man is dishonest and full of greed. “They are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, and greedy for gain.” (pg. 58) In times of conflict, the typical man would turn against his leader regardless of past loyalty. “The prince who relies entirely upon their words comes to ruin, finding himself stripped naked of other preparations. For friendships acquired by a price and not by greatness and

In The Prince, Machiavelli talks about his political views targeted to the princes and throughout the book, he gives advices to them on how to take control of a state successfully. During that time, states in Italy was shattered and the country has “suffered from foreign invasions which have flooded across the land.” Thus, Machiavelli expected there to be a person who can redeem Italy and make the country unified. In order to achieve this goal, the leader can lean towards tyranny a little bit so that the scattered citizens and states can come under one ruler and in search for the common good together. Only when tranny helped unify the region can citizens start to search for liberty.

Machiavelli is one of the greatest and most widely recognized humanist authors. Machiavelli received a classic middle class renaissance humanist education. The Prince most apparent departure from the humanist narrative is the separation of politics and ethics. Machiavelli, in the Prince, creates the first modern political treatise. Machiavelli had an interest to practically deal with the creation of a new government in Florence by the Medici’s, following the fall of the Florentine republic. Machiavelli saw the need for a unified Italy, one that could resist the encroachment of other empires onto Italian soil. Machiavelli also rooted his treatise in concrete examples from recent

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince can be seen as one of the first modern works in political philosophy. It is meant to be read as a guide on how to be a good ruler, and could be interpreted as manifesto dedicated to his patron, Lorenzo De’ Medici (de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic). Machiavelli however, is also attempting through the Treatise to emphasize that the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. Thus, it could be understood that Machiavelli has had enough of these imagined Republics and of these political writers describing how one ought to live. The Prince, therefore, could be viewed as a satirical critique of Plato and Aristotle and their views of an ideal Republic centered around the good of

During the time Machiavelli wrote ‘The Prince’, his home country of Florence, was undergoing a turmoil affair in lack of leadership, and power. Machiavelli in his treatise, writes more of a guided form intended for Lorenzo de Medici. Machiavelli had seen the downfall, and issues arising within his home of Florence during the fifteenth century. As Italy was scattered in city states, they often had power struggles to keep control of their own territories from the larger nations. In response to the on-goings of his city, Machiavelli wrote ‘The Prince’. His text held the intent to equip de Medici, or any leader to come into Florence with the knowledge and skills of how to gain power, as well as how to keep it, while remaining as a positive and notable figure the public would allow to stay in control. Machiavelli, in comparison to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, uses his historical context to explain how manipulation in nature is needed to stay in rule of the country. Where as Julius Caesar, holds more focus on humanities, and the concerns of manipulation within ruling powers, Machiavelli advises his reader to use these persuasions to keep power. Machiavelli says in chapter fifteen, “words must serve to veil the facts. But let this happen in such a way that no one become aware of it; or, if it should be noticed, excuses must be at hand to be produced immediately.” Machiavelli uses an ongoing metaphor of the Lion and the fox to display what elements a leader must have; he states, “the lion cannot defend himself against traps, and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves.”, and relinks through his following statement that “it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares, and like a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply

Niccolo Machiavelli is a very pragmatic political theorist. His political theories are directly related to the current bad state of affairs in Italy that is in dire need of a new ruler to help bring order to the country. Some of his philosophies may sound extreme and many people may call him evil, but the truth is that Niccolo Machiavelli’s writings are only aimed at fixing the current corruptions and cruelties that filled the Italian community, and has written what he believed to be the most practical and efficient way to deal with it. Three points that Machiavelli illustrates in his book The Prince is first, that “it is better to be feared then loved,”# the second

First let us discuss the ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli in is piece “The Prince”. Machiavelli has a very independent controversial way of thinking and portraying his ideal form of governance in this text. The ideal and most effective from of governance for him is not in that of a republic but instead he insists in an autocratic regime. He argues that republics and other forms of government are too weak because of the corruptness of human nature. This book is written as a guide on how a prince should run his state or nation based on how and when he would come into this power. One of his main concerns in which he has been criticized for is his disregard to follow moral values so as to properly run the state, as well as

Relying on the needs of the society of that time, Machiavelli comes to the conclusion that the most important task is the formation of a single Italian state (Machiavelli 15). Developing his thoughts, the author comes to the following inference: only a prince can become a leader capable of leading people and building a unified state. It is not a concrete historical personality but someone abstract, symbolic, possessing such qualities that in the aggregate are inaccessible to any living ruler. That is why Machiavelli devotes most of his research to the issue of what qualities should the prince possess to fulfill the historical task of developing a new state. The written work is constructed strictly logically and objectively. Even though the image of an ideal prince is abstract, Machiavelli argues that he should be ruthless, deceiving, and selfish.

Niccolo Machiavelli was born on Florence and died in Florence (1459-1527). He was a man of many talents and diversity. He was a historian, diplomat, politician, humanist, writer and philosopher. In many people’s eyes he was the founding father of modern political science and of political ethics. His influence even today in the world of politics and power cannot be over-estimated even in today’s world. His most important book The Prince was published in 1517 after Machiavelli had lost his power base of influence and power with the return to power of the Medici. It is today regarded by many as a masterpiece in terms of a philosophy of power and politics. His name is in today’s world as meaning a scheming, powerful and decisive advisor/ruler. In some way this is true but in other ways it is not entirely accurate as Machiavelli had very firm and straight-forward views on the concept of power and politics. It is necessary to examine his views in terms of power, the Prince/Sovereign/government and the people. Firstly in terms of power. Machiavelli was quite clear in his mind that any system of government was based upon the state being strong and stable and these words strike at the heart of his political philosophy.

Niccolo Machiavelli’s abstract work of The Prince discusses politics and government and focuses in not only acquiring power, but also how to maintain it. Throughout his work, one of the most prevalent yet disputed themes is between the acquirement of states between principalities and republics. The Prince shows a predominant and constant debate on which group will excel in acquiring power. However, despite Machiavelli’s harsh criticisms on principalities, his work does not solely praise or focus on the excellence of republics. In fact, as Machiavelli continues to speak and provide examples about the successes and failures of both republics and principalities, it becomes clearer that the lone purpose of The Prince is to merely provide tactics in political governance, instruction on how to maintain power once it is acquired, and most importantly, advice on how to become a great leader.

Niccolo Machiavelli is considered the father of modern political science. Living in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth-century's, Machiavelli was a citizen of the city-state of Florence where he served as a secretary to the city council and as a diplomatic envoy for 14 years. The Prince was published five years after his death and is regarded as his most famous work. The Prince is an articulate and precise explanation of the way to use the lesson of history in politics as an example to learn and build ideas from. The Prince can be broken up into four parts. Firstly, Machiavelli explains how a prince gets a state. Secondly, he explains how a prince holds on to a state. Thirdly, he

Throughout The Prince the manipulation of human nature is advocated as a crucial component of effective leadership and consequently obtaining stability. Italy’s tumultuous political situation catalysed Machiavelli’s writing of The Prince, the advisory handbook an attempt to spur the current rulers of Florence, The Medici, to remove foreign powers from Italy and achieve sovereignty in order to maintain stability. Machiavelli’s assertion that power is obtained either by “luck or deservedly” is reflective of his 16th century Renaissance Italian context, which valued the humanist notion of individual agency and illustrates Italian society’s shift away from the Middle Ages ethos. Machiavelli’s humanist perspective underpins his argument that a ruler’s ability to