The Prince has been described as a handbook for princes (rulers), in the tradition of such books written in the Late Middle Ages. These books were sometimes called 'Mirrors of Virtues', in that they list and explain the good qualities a ruler is supposed to have in order to rule as an effective king and to defend Christianity.
The whole book centers around what principalities are, what are the different types of them, how to acquire and maintain them and why they are lost. The first three chapters set the scope of the whole book and provide a preview of the main concerns in the book. Then Chapter VI and Chapter V are used to present several practical methods to dealing with different matters for rulers. These matters include the acquiring and maintaining of a new state, forming alliance, internal insurrections and so on. In the following two chapters, the book turns to the topic of different qualities of good rulers. Machiavelli puts forward the discussion about virtue and good will in this section. He maintains that sometimes rulers should have vicious actions without the accordance with real virtue for the good of the states and ruling. In the last chapter, the book focuses specifically on the disunity of Italy. In this chapter, Machiavelli gives his own understanding and explanation for the failure of past Italian rulers and pleas for an eligible ruler in the future. He asserts that only Lorenzo de’ Medici, can restore Italy’s honor and pride. This chapter somehow reveals Machiavelli’s intention and purpose of writing The Prince.
Among all the discussions in the book, several key concepts are brought up, such as power, goodwill, statesmanship, the evil human nature, free will and virtue. While I was reading and reflection...
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...actively encouraging the able and honoring those who excel in their professions...so that they can go peaceably about their business” (Machiavelli, 108). He also encourages citizens to “...increase the prosperity of their state” (Machiavelli, 110). Although these methods are deception in essence, they would bring rulers and princes obedience and reliance from their citizens, especially those who intend to oppose them.
There is no doubt that The Prince is a perfect handbook for rulers and princes with all those fascinating real stories of European rulers. However, after my close reading of the book, I think it is also a handbook for realists. All three obvious features of the book--- empirical methods, the emphasis on power and the view of evil human nature--- correspond with the assumptions and theories of Realism just well. Machiavelli is evidently a true realist.
Steven Gregory’s The Devil behind the Mirror is a strong book in the field. It offers real and resourceful information on economic, gender and racial oppression and inequality in the Dominican Republic. Although more research should be done on his topics of discussion, Gregory has set in motion a fundamental understanding of the effects globalization has had on specific
The Dominican Republic was first discovered in the year of 1492 by none other than Christopher Columbus. When Christopher Columbus first sighted what is today known as the Dominican Republic, he told Spain that he found a land that was the “fairest under the sun.” The Dominican Republic is located in between the chain of Caribbean islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. The island has very favorable climate and gentle winds. With its good mineral wealth, the Dominican Republic was preferred as the early location for Spanish trade, administration in the New World and culture. Christopher Columbus named the Dominican Republic “Espanola” or “Little Spain” to show his love for the island. Today the island is divided into two countries which are the Dominican Republic, which consists of Hispanic, Western, Spanish speaking, population which of whom are mostly white or mulatto. The second country is Haiti, which is French and African Culturally and the population consists of people whom are mostly black. The Dominican Republic has four parallel mountain ranges that run from northwest to southwest that segregate the country into several smaller pieces and also separate the capital of Santo Domingo from the agricultural area and also from the center of the tourist trade area which is located on the northern coast. The mountain ranges are mostly unpopulated and are far less important to the Dominican Republic than the valleys of the cordillera. The Dominican Republic is usually blessed with beautiful weather and temperature and rainfall but the island also contains serious climatic problems such as hurricanes of which left many of its people dead and homeless in the year of 1930. This Hurricane served as a reason or excuse for Dictator R...
During Gregory’s ethnographic research in the Dominican Republic, he encounters many individuals, some tourists, others expatriates, as well as citizens native to the island. One individual by the name of Minaya, discusses changes in the sugar cane industry. In 1988 he became a worker at a sugar mill that his uncle owned, but claimed that the industry became “Capitalized” (Gregory 2007: 15). He explains this capitalization as the industry being leased out to private corporations, which incurred poor working conditions and minimal wages upon the laborers. Minaya also expresses the fact he has no formal education, a big factor...
In the Dominican Republic has many economic factors and it is very difficult for Dominican families to find work to support their families and provide them with the necessary things that they need. Due to this lack of economic resources in many cases is why many Dominicans robbed convenience stores, steal food from farms, ect…. just to feed their families. Many Dominicans have been struggling in their native country and due to this struggle they have been forced to do bad things to afford food for their families. Many have robbed bodegas (comer stores) for the basics that they need to eat just for one day. They have also been to the country side and steal vegetables, rice, animals, and other things to support their families. Many have also been arrested due to this delinquency but the government fails to see that our country needs more resources to keep citizens from commuting the crimes that they are committing just to support their families and not starve to death like it has happened too
In The Prince, Machiavelli separates ethics from politics. His approach to politics, as outlined in The Prince, is strictly practical. Machiavelli is less concerned with what is right and just, and instead with what will lead to the fortification of the government and the sustainment of power. Machiavelli believed that a ruler should use any means necessary to obtain and sustain power. He says, “…people judge by outcome. So if a ruler wins wars and holds onto power, the means he has employed will always be judged honorable, and everyone will praise them” (Machiavelli, 55). According to Machiavelli, the ends of an action justify the means (Machiavelli, 55). His motivation for these views in The Prince was the reunification of the Italian city-states (Machiavelli, 78-79). Machiavelli wanted Italy to return to its glory of the Roman Empire (Machiavelli 78-79). Some of the beliefs of Machiavelli could be perceived as evil and cruel, but he found them necessary. Machiavelli was not concerned with making people happy. His purpose was outcome and success, and in his opinion, the only way to be successful was to be realistic. These views of Machiavelli could classify him as one of the earliest modern
Written almost 500 years ago, Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince” brings forward a new definition of virtue. Machiavelli’s definition argued against the concept brought forward by the Catholic Church. Machiavelli did not impose any thoughts of his own, rather he wrote from his experience and whatever philosophy that lead to actions which essentially produced effective outcomes in the political scene of Italy and in other countries. While Machiavelli is still criticized for his notions, the truth is that, consciously or subconsciously we are all thinking for our own benefit and going at length to achieve it. On matters of power where there is much to gain and a lot more to lose, the concept of Machiavelli’s virtue of “doing what needs to be done” applies rigorously to our modern politics and thus “The Prince” still serves as a suitable political treatise in the 21st century.
The Dominican Republic is a country appealing to the Haitians, because that is the nearest to them and can have better quality of life. But, in recent years we have seen a massive immigration from Haiti to Dominican Republic. These leads us to ask, what are the reasons which the people of Haiti are fleeing their country. These factors are: to escape of the poverty, deficiency of basic services and lack of jobs. Due to the scarcity of resources, lack of access to basic services and lack of job opportunities, many haitian families have been used as a defense mechanism traditional your transfer to the Dominican Republic to have access to health care services, public schools or work in the agricultural
Machiavelli believes that a government should be very structured, controlled, and powerful. He makes it known that the only priorities of a prince are war, the institutions, and discipline. His writings describes how it is more important for a prince to be practical than moral. This is shown where he writes, "in order to maintain the state he is often obliged to act against his promise, against charity, against humanity, and against religion" (47). In addition, Machiavelli argues that a prince may have to be cunning and deceitful in order to maintain political power. He takes the stance that it is better for the prince to be feared than loved. His view of how a government should run and his unethical conduct are both early signs of dictatorship.
Machiavelli’s views were drastically different from other humanists at his time. He strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but stood in the way of a successfully governed state. He stated that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little thought to the well being of the state. He distrusted citizens saying, “In time of adversity, when a state is in need of its citizens, there are few to be found.” In his writings in The Prince, he constantly questioned the citizens’ loyalty and warned for the leaders to be wary in trusting citizens. His radical and distrusting thoughts on human nature were derived out of concern for Italy’s then unstable government. Machiavelli also had a s...
Machiavelli has long been required reading for everyone intrested in politics and power. In The Prince Niccolo M
In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli writes a detailed guide for a ruler, or a prince, to follow to ensure stable and controlled civilian population. Throughout his writing, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the interests of the rulers. Although he does not say it outright, the audience can see that Machiavelli believes that the wellbeing of the people is important. The wellbeing of the people in the principality is important to a prince so that he can effectively and efficiently rule.
The time of the Renaissance is one filled with growth of intellect, beauty of nature, the dignity of mankind, and the rising of artists. It is characterized from the move of scholasticism, a devotion specifically for the theological and philosophical teachings of the Church to humanism, a devotion to the humanities of rhetoric, arithmetic, and other subjects. One example of this movement can be seen in Machiavelli’s The Prince in which describes Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideal ruler and how to obtain stability, which was lacking as during the time of his writing this, there was a power shift from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. How Machiavelli describes his ideal prince and his leadership is one that in which he is
Through his many years of experience with Italian politics Machiavelli wrote “The Prince”; a how-to guide for new rulers. We are given descriptions of what a leader should do to effectively lead his country. A leader should be the only authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy to serve his best interests. These interests are gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. Machiavelli’s idea is that a ruler should use a variety of strategies (virtues) to secure his power. Machiavelli lists five virtues that a ruler should appear to have; being compassionate, trustworthy, generous, honest and religious. A ruler should possess all the qualities considered good by other people.
...an be understood by just any person, but it also targets the history student's perspective as well. Machiavelli composed The Prince as a practical guide for ruling. He takes the time to explain the way a country is ruled. He also manages to tell the reader how a country should be run, the way it would be in a utopian type society. It will definitely present the reader with quite a bit more understanding of a nation's government. Machiavelli greatly explains what results from a citizen's failure to act upon an issue. Also, he does a tremendous job of presenting the reader with examples of what comes from what one may establish in life. The Prince is not hypothetical or abstract; its writing style is simple and its logic straightforward. This writing was, honestly, an excellent read and anybody who can read should pick it up to bury their head into it and enjoy.
Machiavelli's views have been misinterpreted since his book was first written, people take him in the wrong way, and are offended by what he says. Careless readers take him in a completely wrong way, such as they think that he believes that the end justifies the means, that a leader should lie to the people, and that a ruler has to rule with force. In actuality, Machiavelli means no such thing, he says that there are times when the common good outweighs the means, and the morality of a rulers actions. He also says that you cannot be loved by everyone, so try to be loved and feared at the same time, but of the two, choose to be feared. The Prince is considered to be one of the most important of nonfiction literature written in the history of mankind. It gave an accurate and truthful description of the method of governing.