Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince Analysis

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A Comprehensive Review of The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Ryan Ardelle University of Pittsburgh ADMJ 1235: Organized Crime Professor Giunta October 21, 2014 No book has been as influential to the practice of realpolitik throughout history as Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. This Renaissance classic is so infamous for its unorthodox lessons that the author even has a word dedicated to him – Machiavellianism – referring to the employment of cunning, deception, expediency, or duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct. Many condemn Machiavelli’s book as a corrupt, heretical doctrine that incites the reader to shed their moral fibers with reckless abandon in the pursuit of power. Criticism notwithstanding, The Prince provides …show more content…

Chapters 1-11 examine the different types of states that existed at the time and the various political structures of each. Chapters 12-14 examine the different types of militaries and effective management strategies of an army, as well as the role of a prince as a military leader. Chapters 15-23 examine the attributes and demeanor of a successful prince. Chapters 24-26 examine the turbulent nature of Italy’s political situation in the early sixteenth century. Each chapter contains a thorough explanation of the choices and situations that a prince may encounter, Machiavelli’s educated recommendation for action, and a plethora of detailed historical references to serve as supporting evidence for his …show more content…

Machiavelli lists four types of armed forces: mercenaries, auxiliaries, native troops, and mixed troops. Mercenaries, or soldiers hired to fight for a commission, are regarded as “ambitious, undisciplined, disloyal, and quarrel[some]” (Machiavelli, 2009, p. 48), and are therefore useless and dangerous. Auxiliaries, or troops borrowed from a more powerful state to fight on one’s side, are just as ineffective as mercenaries due to their loyalty to another ruler. Native troops, or one’s own army comprised of soldiers from his territory, are the most effective and secure type of military. Mixed troops, or a combination of native and non-native soldiers, is a compromise between the three aforementioned military styles and is inferior to an all-native army. Machiavelli repeatedly emphasizes the necessity of a native army for effective security of a territory, quoting an adage, “There is nothing so weak and unstable as a reputation for power that is not backed up by its own army” (Machiavelli, 2009, p.

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