Niccolo Machiavelli 's The Prince

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.

To be a leader there are multiple characteristics that makes one leader better than another. In 1469, an aristocrat by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli was born. Machiavelli was born in an unfortunate time when Florence was unstable and was wrongly convicted which led him to be imprisoned. He later wrote a book by the name of The Qualities of the Prince which listed his thoughts and ideas on what characteristics a prince should have to be a successful leader. Today, we have leaders that guide us through tough decisions and keep order in the state, widely known as the politicians. Politicians are people who are involved in politics as a job and usually are in an elected office. We also have in that group a sub group known as the Governor. The

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

Machiavelli lists qualities that every prince strives for: merciful, trustworthy, humane, blameless, and religious. He considers it impossible for an effective prince to have all of the aforementioned qualities and practice them regularly. In fact, it is not necessary to possess any of them, but it is essential to appear to have them. A prince must be careful with his words and how he presents himself to convince the public that he does, in fact, have all of these qualities. Because everybody “sees what you appear to be [and] few perceive what you are,” the public must be deceived (Machiavelli). The public will not support a ruler that does not have the qualities they desire. Because men are quick to judge, a ruler that appears to have them will earn the respect of many, thus making it easier to maintain power. This applies in republics today; if a ruler is excessively cruel, inhumane, and plainly dishonest, his people will not respect him and even grow to hate him. In Boston University Today writer John O’Rourke’s interview with James Johnson, recipient of a Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1996, the two were discussing the relevance of The Prince today. Johnson considered Machiavelli to be famous for “shifting the sense of ‘virtue’ from moral worth to effectiveness” (Johnson). This is the essence of Chapter XVIII: separating morals and politics to achieve effective

Machiavelli’s The Prince is just as applicable to the lives of leaders in the 1500’s as it is for leaders in modern times. Although any person who is in a position of authority might not say that they use Machiavellian tactics. Through their actions it is evident that the teachings of The Prince are still used on a global scale. Concepts such as safeguarding the state, and becoming wealthy, are just a few of the concepts that are beneficial to a strong government and reflected in current political situations at home and abroad.

Machiavelli’s The Prince talks about many issues of modern political philosophy, it was written to help rulers stay in power. His common themes are ruling through fear, being as powerful as a lion and as intelligent as a fox, and to maintain the state at all costs. One of the common discussions about his writings is what he means by “one must learn how to not be good.” For what reason should a ruler learn to not be good? He claims that being good and continuing to be good could only make a ruler more weak. He continues to list good and bad qualities of a ruler and claiming that every ruler will have at least one of the bad qualities but the way he conquers his unpraised attribute is most important. A ruler should hide his flaws so that he only

Machiavelli’s work The Prince is, evidently, a bit dated. However, the points that it expresses maintain their significance, even when monarchies are no longer the primary form of government. The Prince is relevant to contemporary society in today’s age as it relates to contemporary elements such as North Korea, World War II, and more.

In addition to the concerns of the people, another important factor a ruler must consider is how easily it is for him to be blamed for something; actions among his kingdom can very quickly be trailed back to his decisions. Machiavelli suggests that, “it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how now to be good, and to use this knowledge and not us it, according to the necessity of the case” (p. 63). Again, we see Machiavelli arguing that a prince must use the most basic practicality in addition to understanding the various virtues that complement it. This use of common sense for the benefit of the state calls for generosity, mercy, and craftiness as well as an appropriate level stubbornness and imperiousness.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the term “Machiavellian” as someone who is cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics or in advancing one’s career. These principles, as well as others, were established in Niccolo Machiavelli’s book, The Prince. The Prince dwelves on what a person needs to do to obtain and maintain power in a principality. Although it was written nearly 500 years ago, it has influenced countless rulers over time. A great example of one of these rulers is Joseph Stalin, dictator of the U.S.S.R (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) from 1929 - 1953.

The Prince was a book that really opened my eyes to a certain way of thinking and not feeling like a bad person for thinking that way. A lot of people regard narcissism as bad and selfish and make you out to be an ignorant villain. Growing up I have always considered myself to be quite narcissistic and everyone around me always made me feel like it was a crime to think highly of myself. Having narcissistic qualities is not a crime, in fact depending on where you want your life to go it can be a blessing to have those qualities. Although these qualities can be to our benefit in some instances, if we do not know how to use the power of these qualities they will become of no use and instead work against us.

On the surface, Machiavelli's The Prince teaches leaders how to best acquire and maintain power. Machiavelli said that his purpose of writing is to tell the "real truth of the matter". The truth according to Machiavelli is that people who are seldom are what they appear to be and that people who focus on ideals and principles or what ought to be done will end up ruined. Some people thought that Machiavelli's intentions was to expose how autocratic leaders have truly exercised their power throughout history. Some even say that he wrote The Prince to secure a government position from Lorenzo de' Medici, who was the ruler of Florence. Others believed that he meant it as a warning to Florentines to look out for tyrants like Medicis. Machiavelli

Machiavelli’s, The Prince, a book written by Niccolò Machiavelli, is a read that most people wouldn’t prefer to read as a first option but in defense to Niccolo, it brings out many themes such as Goodwill and Hatred, Free will, and Human Nature. “It is known from his personal correspondence that The Prince was written during 1513, the year after the Medici took control of Florence, and a few months after Machiavelli 's arrest, torture, and banishment by the Medici regime” (Bio.com). The novel was written during a time of political turbulence as a practical guide to help Lorenzo de Medici stay in power. As well with the following themes, the book contains suspenseful moments as well as action packed pages. The whole book itself is set during the backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, a period of intense activity in art, literature and science. It is also an analysis of how to acquire and obtain political power.

In this paper, I will examine Niccolo Machiavelli’s claims in The Prince that dictatorial power drives most princes. Machiavelli discusses the differences between shared and dictatorial power. The dominant power is to never be conquered, even with the possibility for people to attain greater status. In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses two groups of people: the public and the upper class. This paper will uncover more of how Machiavelli creates the distinctions between powers.

In The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli explores the character that a prince must hold to be successful. The study of war should be a prince's main goal, “…for war is the sole art looked for in one who rules” (Machiavelli 37). Knowledge of war is necessary because it not only keeps princes in power, but can also make princes out of private citizens. If a prince neglects the art of war, he can easily lose a state. Military organization lays the foundation for the stability of the state and is a critical skill for both established and new rulers. There can be no security without military might. Machiavelli develops his idea through example and logic.

Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince has been both praised and reviled since its publication. In particular, the book’s seventeenth chapter, “Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether it is Better to be Loved or Feared,” controversially posits that an effective leader ought to value being feared over being loved (Machiavelli 43). Though many have questioned the veracity of Machiavelli’s claim, an examination of some of the world’s most effective leaders shows that they led through fear. Alexander the Great, the leaders of the Mongols, and even Hammurabi used fear to maintain their authority and the security of their domains.