Research Paper On Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli was a unique politician, philosopher, and writer who lived in Florence, Italy during the European Renaissance period of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is most famously known for writing his ruthless handbook for rulers, The Prince, during his time in exile in 1513. This contentious piece of literature has been fondly referred to as “the guidebook for tyrants and totalitarians,” according to the documentary, Machiavelli: The Prince by director Jett Rink. However, the document has also been credited with positively paving the way for ethnic and religious toleration, individual rights, and modern democracies all throughout history; and it inevitably set the stage for future governments to come. In this way, it is

     Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the great political minds of the 15th century, accomplished what many mathematicians today only dream of, having one’s name used as an adjective. To be Machiavellian is to demonstrate characteristics of expediency, deceit, and cunning and as Machiavelli wrote in, The Prince, these are the qualities of a great leader. The Prince was published in 1531, creating great controversy with other political thinkers of the time. Machiavelli completely ignored the popular religious teachings of the era and erased the moral and ethical considerations from the leadership equation; the actions of a ruler should be governed solely by necessity. “Since I intend to write something useful to an

Around 1513 Niccolo Machiavelli while writing "The Prince" would not be considered a theologian. When thinking of Machiavelli many people confuse him together with the names of rulers who have abused his writings. It also seems other people confuse Machiavelli with the rapper who took his name. Either way people confuse Machiavelli it seems they fail to look at his true message, bettering the state and the greater good. Machiavelli may seem evil to some but his political theory properly applied is optimal for founding a state, establishing and then maintaining order.

"The term Machiavellian refers to someone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipled"(Goods 1998). Many scholars agree that this particular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attributed as being one of the brightest lights of the Italian Renaissance through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and political thought. His most famous work The Prince has been misunderstood due to the motives discussed and the blatantly honest language used. Many of his critics have condemned him for his pessimistic outlook of man as a whole and in doing so try to negate the bulk of his work. Yet even after over 470

In this paper, I will argue that a leader needs to be beast-like and must break their word when it suits their purpose. It's my position that a leader needs to assume characteristics of a lion to be effective, then I will argue that a leader needs to be cunning like a fox when breaking their word so it serves their purpose. Below I will argue why a ruler assumes characteristics of a lion to rule effectively.

One of Machiavelli’s most well-known philosophies is that of “it is safer to be feared than loved…” (69). Idi Amin, also known as the ‘Butcher of Uganda’ for his cruelness and ruthlessness, clearly illustrates an example of this belief in practice. After seizing power by overthrowing former President Milton Obote, Idi Amin wanted to rid of any threat to his newly attained power, so he formed the Public Safety Unit (PSU) and had the organization “redouble their efforts to uncover subversives and other imagined enemies of the state.” For the people of Uganda, “fear and insecurity became a way of life… as thousands of people disappeared.”. Amin established an environment filled with fear and angst. The brutal and intimidating dictator knew that

The section about Machiavelli's life and times was about how he always wanted to be a part of the political office. Machiavelli was a secretary for the Second Chancery in Florence for 14 years until Florence became under Papal control. Then he lost his job, got arrested and was tortured until he was eventually released. After all of this he began to write about his political views.

The narrator describes the purpose of The Prince was to “shock and reeducate its reader... to challenge the political pieties of its day and explain to princes and prince-wannabes, how the game is really played”. The book tells of how princes should know how to fight, and how to be heartless, callous, and pitiless. At any time, the prince had to be willing and ready to demolish moral and religious fundamentals, to lie and be dishonest, and to break his word. But, at the same time, the prince had to appear virtuous, dedicated, honest and considerate to his subjects.

Modern political thinkers consider great leaders to be defined by their character, control, and capability. Honor is a controversial term; it can be defined through an idealistic sanctimonious nature, or through scruples or religious morals. A tyrant may be honored by his army but he may not be respected in the eyes of the public. Whereas a dictator faces contempt, a democratic president could be disfavored if the economy of his/her country is in crisis. So what makes a ‘good’ leader? Niccolò Machiavelli often asked himself the same question, and in efforts of determining a response, he used his military experience to guide his research. After being released from his capture from the Medici in Florence, Machiavelli took up farm life. That is

More than anything else we’ve read this year, Machiavelli is extremely difficult for me to respond to. I find myself agreeing with a lot of his ideas (at least I think I agree with his ideas, his writing jumbles my head around), and most of my comments come from a place of unwarranted rage. One complaint I have is that I think he goes back on his word a lot. The thing is, Machiavelli shoves so much information down your throat every sentence that everything I’ve read kind of melds together in a strange sort of limbo. For example, I’m fairly sure he talks about the importance of being kind and virtuous in the first reading we did, but in the second a lot of it is about being merciless. Maybe those were supposed to apply to different situations.

Niccolo Machiavelli, the founder of modern political science, is most well known for his short book The Prince which details what he believed to be the proper way to preserve authority. His views were seen as violent and diabolical due to the misinterpretation of his works. His life can be broken down into three parts; his early life, his time in office, and his death. During these three parts of his life, Machiavelli experienced three large changes in Florence, Italy’s political system,

There are many reasons why Machiavelli is widely considered the beginner of modern political thought, one of the many is he studied strictly the politicians, and businessmen. Machiavelli recognized the political playing field as a vile place only for the most dominating and cunning of political giants. One of Machiavelli’s most famous work, On Principalities, or known by the other title, The Prince, absolutely announced a break with previous political beliefs secured between moral and religion system, it examines the nature of his views on power that are still somewhat in existent today. Machiavelli discusses in this work power over the people, oppressive power, and shared power. Machiavelli discusses two specific groups of people such as the political elite and the general public within this work.

The maintenance of a state requires the ability to act in accordance to the times. The Hobbesian and Machiavellian discourses in relation to the legitimacy of violence are distinct, nonetheless, bring forth significant arguments. Machiavelli claims that leaders ought to be good as long as the times permit, however, the leader with virtu ought to prepare to enter into evil when forced by necessity. Contrary to popular belief, Machiavelli does not endorse violence, rather he provides advice to those who wish to maintain their state or creation and in spite of the ravaging forces of time. The advice of Machiavelli is selective as it is geared to those who wish to maintain their state, not those preoccupied with salvation. In my understanding, Machiavelli advises that in order to maintain a political order, leaders ought to acquire virtu and not remain obstinate or operate with eternal principles. The Hobbesian account of the legitimacy of the use of violence is based on a notion of exceptionalism, which is the distinctive characteristic of the sovereign. Whereas Machiavelli appeals to effects, Hobbes’ defence of the legitimacy of violence is intrinsically necessary to the notion of sovereignty. By definition, the sovereign is sovereign or exceptional to commit violence. For example, the governing laws of physics make it impossible for man to walk on water, except when the law-giver walks on water. It is in the nature of the sovereign to determine exceptions, any act of

1. In Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Qualities of a Prince”, declaimed that the best strategy to be a prince is to do best that you can to get what you want even if it is going to be cruel and unmerciful, but make sure that you will have the best strategy to make people like you. Machiavelli supports his claims by using the events and the strategies that successful leaders in the history uses like Cyrus, Hannibal, Julius Ceasar, Alexander and others. His purpose is to let the people know what is the nastiest most unpleasant activities leaders in his era uses to get the god, gold and glory that they want to achieve. He seems to be an inappropriate person to ask for leadership advice for people who is living in the present time.

Niccolo Machiavelli was born May 1469 in Florence. In 1498, Machiavelli was appointed second chancellor of Florentine republic. He was also elected secretary to the Ten of Wars. His first diplomatic mission was to Piombino. In July of 1499 Machiavelli had a mission to Caterina Sforza-Riario, Countess of Forli. When the 1500 came along, Machiavelli had multiple missions to France, Cesare Borgia, Pandolfo Petrucci, lord of Siena, papal conclave. In 1501, Machiavelli got married to Marietta Corsini. In 1505, Machiavelli was engaged in a scheme to raise a Florentine militia. In September of 1512 Medicis restored with Spanish Military support and Machiavelli was dismissed. After being imprisoned Machiavelli finished writing “The Prince”. Before his death in 1527, Machiavelli had became a member of the literacy circle and had written multiple pieces of writing. Shortly after Machiavelli's death “The Prince “ was published. Even after hundreds of years of “ The Prince” being written it is still surrounded by a controversy.