Machiavelli's The Prince

Political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli’s, “The Prince”, exemplifies an early depiction of several “modern” ideological principles that would sustain and preserve nations (especially after the separation of the church and state) in the sixteenth century. In this critically acclaimed work, Machiavelli satirically bequeaths a map of qualities that princes should steadfastly uphold and advance. Expressly, the qualities mapped out are frequently criticized as, “crafty, cunning and unscrupulous methods by which a prince can acquire and maintain political power”. One of the most prominent principles that almost served as a catalyst and enchiridion for Machiavelli’s “ethical” behavior as an eminent political figure of Florence, Italy was, “the end

History 's most prominent leaders have shown extreme congruence. These leaders almost always hold reality over ethics. How can we classify lying and manipulative leaders as immoral when their duplicity is the very reason a society can maintain stability? This idea has of "means justifying the ends" has been a staple in History 's most prosperous of societies. Machiavelli 's novel The Prince was the first stab at understanding this human tendency of what is now known as Machiavellian. Machiavelli grasped the sad reality of our world and did not fall prey to other 's idealistic propaganda. Great leaders understand what the endless potential they hold, they can manipulate their followers to make best of what is possible and above all they understand sacrifice. Modern day Machiavellians and successful leaders think realistically and communicate through idealism. No matter the extremes of your belief, utilizing Machiavellian tactics have the capability to bring anyone to power.

“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.

The Prince, written by Niccoló Machiavelli, is essentially a guide for to-be rulers on how to be successful, in running a state, monitoring political issues, and so on. The book is a handbook that was dedicated, as said by Machiavelli in the dedicatory letter, to Lorenzo de’ Medici, who was the governor of Florence at the time. Machiavelli discusses, in thorough detail, necessary characteristics that a leader should possess in order for him to become victorious in his reign. An important concept that Machiavelli address is how virtue and fortune connect and affect the ability of the ruler to keep power. In Chapter XVIII, he implicitly defines virtue as the qualities needed by a prince to rule effectively and in favor of the people.

Machieavelli’s The Prince serves to demonstrate the relationship between virtue and fortune by which a prince gains and maintains his power. Though a prince may achieve power through fortune, either by luck or wealth, he will not be able to maintain his power without the execution of virtu, a characteristic indicating strength and skillfulness. Machiavelli demonstrates how the concept of virtu is inconsistent with the conventional denotation of moral excellence, such as charity, truthfulness, compassion, etc., for every action the prince makes must be taken into account in terms of its affect on the state. Though Machiavelli advises for the prince to inspire fear among his subjects rather than love, it is crucial for the prince to emanate

Since a majority of politicians will most likely never step foot on enemy territory and won’t have to deal with leading an army into combat, Machiavelli suggests many ways to deal with issues at home and other policies more suited for contemporary politicians today. For example, Machiavelli advises,”...it is necessary for a prince to have the people friendly, otherwise he has no security in adversary.”(Chap. IX). The people have elected all of the presidents throughout American history. What Machiavelli is implying is that the power can be taken away by the people. If the people are not on your side, it’s inevitable that you’ll lose control over them. Once they are on your side, they can support you and give you the right to rule. Therefor, if the ruler wants to keep that power, the favor has to be in the people’s hands, hence, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people...” a famous quote from the Gettysburg Address by one of the former president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. I think following Machiavelli’s principles, the government would rule with better power and control over its people while benefiting

Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince was met with much criticism after its publication over five hundred years ago. It was written to guide leaders for a republican form of government. The latter chapters describe the qualities of the ideal leader, or prince, particularly those concerning morals and perception by the public. Machiavelli prioritizes the upholding and maintaining of the government and sacrifices traditional morals. Because of his theory of the qualities a prince should exhibit, he was condemned as evil by many. Machiavelli’s theory that a prince should be stingy, feared, and deceitful is fitting for a modern republican government.

1) Describe the political situation that prompted Machiavelli to write The Prince. A: Italy was not a unified country when Machiavelli had written this book. Italy had actually been multiple city-states. One of these city-states was Florence. Florence at the time was under the control of France so when France was taken over by Pope Julius II.

In The Morals of the Prince Machiavelli expresses his presumption on how a prince should act. He expresses that a prince should be feared, merciful, stingy, etc. He is right because if a prince is loved and too generous then people will take advantage of him and that will lead to his down fall. A prince must act appropriately to remain in power. Machiavelli gives his best ideas to keep a prince in power.

During the early 16th century, Martin Luther who was an Augustinian monk and a university lecturer, tried to tell people that the pope is not saying the right things of bible to the people. They are selling the words of bible and are not being honest about its sayings. He translated the bible into German language so that the people understand its real meaning and not fall for the false sayings by the preachers of the church. He believed the way the church was punishing the people for their sins was not right and it was not in their hands to punish them so severely. He tried to reform this system and protested against it in a vast way. He tried to make others understand by using pamphlets and other sources so that they

In Prince Machiavelli maps a political ideology that values citizen active participation in public life as opposed to the idea of waiting for divine repudiation and salvation. The essence of virtue is central to humanist thought and action. Machiavelli like all other humanists saw virtue in those with power to rule. A virtuous ruling class had the capacity for more efficient and accountable governance. He goes on to argue that an elite ruling class was not sufficient enough for political stability. A stable political system needs power. He observed that a political system that had poor organization led to its subjects’ bad behavior which in the end resulted in it getting attacked by outside enemies. Machiavelli’s project was to separate the political from the moral and he thought this did not necessarily benefit the ruler but the general populace. His civic humanism is found in his assertion that a prince should not resort to mistreating his subjects. When he is feared enough, the state is strong and every citizen does their civic duty. In the process no one is hurt and the prince retains his

The Prince is a straightforward and educational book written by Niccolò Machiavelli to properly illustrate and advise princes on how to run their territories. Despite being a short book it took me many days to read because of the language used and how in depth the book goes into, what I thought, were some pretty mundane topics. I’m not familiar with how royalty is expected to govern, so I found it difficult to comprehend the politics that Machiavelli described. I discovered, quite quickly, that most of the topics written about in the book could've been summed up in one or two sentences instead of a whole chapter. While some of the chapters were quite extraneous, some made good points quite relative to the subject at hand.

During the Italian Renaissance, two prominent themes emerged which separated it from the Middle Ages: individualism and humanism. Individualism drove many to want to become recognized as unique, whereas humanism fueled a critical attitude, caused people to question everything around them and focus on the corporeal versus the spiritual. Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance writer, demonstrated a spirit of individualism and humanism through his handbook, The Prince. His views on how to gain and maintain political power became well known, as his ruthless and realistic views mirrored the actions of famous ruling families such as the Medicis. The ideology of his book exemplified the Renaissance movement as seen through Machiavelli’s

Niccolo Machiavelli and Karl Marx developed theories concerning wealth and poverty in our society, as well as different types of governments. For instance, Machiavelli supported a capitalist economic system, unlike Marx, who embraced socialism in the society. Machiavelli wrote a book "The Prince" that explained how to be an effective leader. The theme of the book is "the end justifies the means." A person could or should do whatever is necessary to achieve the desired goal. According to Machiavelli, there is no concept of a perfect ruler, but only effective or ineffective leaders. Therefore, he claims that there are no fair fighters, but only losers and winners. Contrary, Marx embraced democracy as good practice for the government. This paper will analyze whether Marx would buy Machiavelli 's thought that states "desired ends justify undesirable means" (Weng 1).

I have always found great interest in the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli and his ways of thinking; my eye was drawn to him long before I knew I would be studying at Colorado State and even before I had any interest in politics. It was from young man know as Tupac Shakur, and let me tell you it is great to finally understand who Machiavelli is and the things he has done for the outlook on politics after hearing about how much respect and praise he got from the iconic rapper of the 1990s. In this paper I will be analyzing and contrasting Thomas More’s “Utopia” and Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and their ideas on subjects that include good governance and social orders, key reforms, and who should be held responsible for providing good governance and an orderly society.