How Did Machiavelli Rise To Power

Machiavelli thinks it is better for the prince to be feared than loved. For a prince who is loved will be compassionate towards others, mainly his soldiers. When danger is at bay his men will hold him in the highest regard. Should an attack occur they will very quickly turn their backs on him. He may be viewed as weak and untrustworthy, thus easier to overtake. As he explains, “And men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared because love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are a sorry lot, is broken on every occasion in which their own self-interest is concerned: but fear is held together by dread of punishment which will never abandon you” (p.46). If he is loved rather than hated he can never keep an army of soldiers under his command. However, he must not be so feared to the point he is hated to do so he must not take what does not belong to him, and keep his hands off the wives of his subjects.

Monarchs would take into account Machiavelli's philosophy and impose his teachings onto their nations to obtain absolute rule. In Machiavelli's book, The Prince, he stated, "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot

Machiavelli led us to a question that was continuously in disagreement. That question was “Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa” (p.392)? Machiavelli thought that one is to be loved & feared. Nevertheless, at the same time it’s tremendously hard to achieve being both loved & feared. Machiavelli believed that if one had to do without one of them that it would be a safer to be feared than to be loved. For example if a ruler was more loved than feared then if you served their men’s interest & were also devoted to them they would promise you their blood, possessions, lives, & children until you needed help because once you needed help you were on our own. If you’re more feared than loved then when you’re in trouble your

Machiavelli also presents the idea that the power of a leader depends more on the qualities of the man than on of god. Thats the matter, loved and feared-qualities need there limits the same way as anything else in a social relation. Machiavelli himself stating that a man who makes himself loved than who makes himself feared; the reason is that love is a link to obligation, which men, because they are rotten, and will break any time soon. Machiavelli complicates the nation of good as purely subordinate power, arguing that the excess of “good” can actually do harm. In this case too much clemency can lead to uprisings and civil war. Cruelty what Machiavelli believes in, states that it can serve the greater good. I personally disagree with Machiavelli's text, I think love is stronger than fear. A commander loved by his soldiers will defeat a commander feared by his soldiers in almost all battles, but the feared commander is less subject to arbitrary chance. Its not only love that can destroy a man, so can fear.

A leader who is feared by his people has much more control than a leader who is loved by his people. From the beginning of governments hundreds of years ago, leaders and government rulers have discovered that fear is what will keep you in power and prevent chaos in your country. The book, The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli explains this. In one of his quotes, he says "Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.” 

Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli encourages the idea that a fear leader is a good leader. Machiavelli makes the point that a good leader knows that it is, “far safer to be feared than loved” (Machiavelli 43) because love allows for weakness. It is easy to keep people under control and in line when they fear their leader because they do not want to have to face consequences that come with “doing wrong”. When a leader is loved, some many look at this as a weakness. Those who fear their leader are is less likely to curate rebellions and revolts because they know that their leader is not afraid of applying punishment. When a ruler is too kind to their subjects it leaves them vulnerable and they are easily taken advantage of, which threatens their position. For a good leader should, “desire to be accounted merciful and not cruel”, and needs to,

“It is much safer to be feared than loved.” This quotation was just a specimen of the harsh and very practical political annotation of the legendary historian, Niccolò Machiavelli – philosopher, patriot, diplomat, advisor and statesman. He was born as the son of a poor lawyer in 1498, but he never let boundaries restrict him. He still received an excellent humanist education from the University of Florence and was soon after appointed as the Second Chancellor of the Republic of Florence.2 His political importance to Florence would soon give him the opportunity to write what is disputed as one of the most significant works in history, The Prince.

Niccolo Machiavelli stressed that “one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved…for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.” He felt that a true leader must be cunning and deceptive, winning the hearts of his people through power and influence. If he could not be liked, he could at least get by knowing he has intimidated these below him into submission. However rash or cruel this may seem, Machiavelli’s argument is not one to be countered easily.

Throughout all of human civilization the world has seen the rise and the fall of many leaders, including those who have been great and those who have committed some of the most heinous crimes against humanity. In the span of all human civilization most leaders have risen to power against the will of the people although there are leaders who rise to power with the blessing and the will of the people, for the past two hundred years the latter has been the most practiced throughout the world although there are some governments that don’t respect the will of the people in ways that most do. It is also one obstacle to rise to power but it is an entirely separate obstacle to rise to power and hold onto that power. No other book discusses rising to

Niccolo Machiavelli is clear and concise in his work The Prince. He reveals some of the cold hard truths about people of power and human nature in general. The principles, although may seem outdated and irrelevant in today’s society, they are very much apart of the world we live in today. One point that Machiavelli elaborates on in Chapter 17 of The Prince is, “Is it better to be loved than feared?” He believes that “it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both”, but why?

According to Machiavelli's view of how to be an effective leader, a ruler should be one who is feared but not hated. Machiavelli states that fear is better than love because love is unreliable. All of the reasons that Machiavelli gives relate to how human nature controls men and drives them to commit crimes in order to reach their goals and satisfy themselves.

The traditional depiction of a leader is someone who is admired by his citizens and is respected because of his accomplishments. Machiavelli challenges the depiction of a traditional leader by arguing an efficient leader should achieve respect and obedience through fear. He states “ here a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved. . . .

A devious cunning person he was, Niccolo Machiavelli, born in Florence, Italy, during a time of almost constant upheaval. The Medici family had been in open but unofficial control of the city state, fast forward to where he was imprisoned in February of 1513 he was falsely implicated in a plot against the family, and he was tortured, fined, and imprisoned.

Many criticize Machiavelli for taking a too cruel approach to leadership. Truly, he only takes a very realistic view of the world, and focuses on doing what is needed to be done. His philosophy can be summarized, “It is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both,” (Ratner). Essentially, both are necessary to be respected, but if love cannot be maintained, fear is the motivator a leader should pursue.

Speaking of such qualities as ruthless and mercy, Machiavelli argues that every ruler would like to be regarded as merciful and not cruel. Another thing is that often in order to retain power the ruler has to show cruelty. If the state is threatened with chaos or mess, the task of the prince is to prevent this even if it is necessary to arrange some reprisals. After all, with respect to the rest of the citizens, these executions will become a noble deed since riots and chaos would bring suffering to them (Machiavelli 24). Machiavelli provides an example of Cesare Borgia whose cruelty led to peace in the state. In that way, the