Adolf Hitler's Machiavellian Strategy
Machiavelli’s The Prince outlines tactics for a leader to seize and maintain lands under his power. His tactics have been demonstrated repeatedly throughout history, and though his approach is hardly ethical or idealistic, one cannot deny the fact that it has proved to be effective. Hitler is an example that exemplifies the accuracy of what Machiavelli said would bring success in the acquisition of new provinces.
One topic Machiavelli focuses on, especially in Part II, are different types of troops. Had he seen Hitler’s army, he would have classified the troops as "native," and would have applauded Hitler’s choice in troops over "mercenary" (men who fight for money,) "auxiliary" (foreign borrowed troops,) and troops combining all three types. Mercenary troops are described by Machiavelli as "disorganized, undisciplined, ambitious and faithless" (47). Auxiliary troops are "useless" (50) because they do not have the strong loyalties to the nation as native troops, and fight only due to alliances which usually prove temporary. Finally, because mixed troops include useless mercenary and auxiliary troops, they are less than effective. Native troops, whose will were particularly strong in Hitler’s time due to the strong feeling of nativism that was sweeping through Europe, fight stronger due to loyalties to their nation, and the feeling of defending their home and their freedom. According to Machiavelli, "no state, unless it have its own arms, is secure" (53).
In Part I of The Prince, Machiavelli speaks of different types of principalities, or lands governed by a prince or leader, and how to maintain them. Hitler sought to gain two different kinds of principalities: "mixed," and "new". ...
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...rm, and was adroit at public speaking. However, he was still a ruthless leader whose cruelty helped him maintain order, and "find a greater security in being feared than in being loved," as Machiavelli says anyone would.
Hitler almost flawlessly mastered Niccolo Machiavelli’s strategies that are set forth in The Prince. One might point out the fact that he lost World War II. However his failure to win the war was due to military blunders, and not his failure to control his lands. There were no successful uprisings or rebellions within Hitler’s Reich. He was also never betrayed by one of his officers, proving the effectiveness of the fear he instilled in those fighting for him, and those under his rule. Throughout the years of his rule, Hitler had almost complete control over his lands, and it is proof of the effectiveness of the policies set forth in The Prince.
Machiavelli strongly believes that a prince should be involved in the military and understand all military matters. A prince must always be concentrated on war. Whether his country is at war or not, he must always be prepared. He must continuously be training, mentally and physically, and know the terrain around him. Machiavelli believes that a prince who does not attain these military related qualities will fail as a leader. In addition, during times of war, a successful prince should always question all outcomes of possible battles and prepare himself for the future by studying past wars. Studying the
In his work The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli explores the complex relationship between a ruler and his people, but ultimately comes to the conclusion that the people, because they are crucial to the well being of the country, are to be manipulated in order for a country to thrive. In order to manipulate effectively one must keep the people oppressed, but not to the point of inspiring hate, and only when that balance is achieved is when a ruler can successfully manipulate their people.
"The Prince," written by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1513, is a political treatise addressed to the Medici family of Florentine. "The Prince" was written to analyze and explain the acquisition, perpetuation, and use of political power in the west. Machiavelli’s theories in the work describe methods that an aspiring prince could possibly use to acquire power, or an existing prince could use to keep power. Though this work was written in 1513 and published in 1532, its context can be applied to foreign policy in today’s world. The principles suggested by Machiavelli provide insight into the issues that arose with the war on Iraq and issues involved with occupation and transition to a new government.
The most astounding aspect of The Prince is Machiavelli’s view that princes may indeed, be cruel and dishonest if their ultimate aim is for the good of the state. It is not only acceptable but necessary to lie, to use torture, and to walk over other states and cities. Machiavellianism is defined as “A political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the relevance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power (Def.)” This implies that in the conquest for power, the ends justify the means. This is the basis of Machiavellianism. The priority for the power holder is to keep the security of the state regardless of the morality of the means. He accepts that these things are in and of themselves morally wrong, but he points out that the consequences of failure, the ruin of states and the destruction of cities, can be far worse. Machiavelli strongly emphasizes that princes should not hesitate to use immoral methods to achieve power, if power is necessary for security and survival.
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 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.
Adolf Hitler’s rise to power can be largely attributed to his ability to make use of events that happened in Weimar Germany, however much of his success came from careful, precise planning. Life after World War One was difficult for all Germans; the country was in political chaos with other factors leading to the relatively easy rise to power of Hitler. During the Stresemann years Germany started to rebuild itself leading which required Hitler to very carefully plan the ways in which he conducted himself, his party and the information that he released to the public. When Germany plunged into the depression it created another opportune moment for Hitler to strike but he did so through the use of carefully manipulated propaganda which had to be distributed in a way that would lead the German people in the way the Nazis wanted. It is impossible to argue against the opportunism that Hitler utilized to make his final ascension to power. With the death of President Hindenburg and the inaction of the Enabling Act, Hitler took this perfect opportunity to final have complete power over the whole of Germany. Again it can be argued that he would never have been able to accomplish these great feats without careful planning.
Machiavelli includes numerous references to ancient and modern examples of ruling peoples’ behaviors in his treatise. However, he does not simply state factual evidence to support his own claims; Machiavelli turns simplistic historical stories into examples of fine military tactic. Take, for instance, Chapter 8, in which Machiavelli gives his rendition of Agathocles’ coming to power. He states, “At every stage of his career, this man… behaved like a criminal; none the less he accompanied his crimes with so much audacity and physical courage that when he joined the militia he rose through the ranks to become praetor of Syracuse” (Ch. 8, p. 2). Notice, Machiavelli only included two real facts here: Agathocles joined the militia, and became praetor of Syracuse.
... to the times of kings and princess, however it must be noted that the underlying human emotions and their motivations can only be dealt with decisiveness and deep plotting. The concepts discussed are applicable to all leaders and politicians holding offices. Bottom line is, some things never changes. Even though a lot has changed, principles of Machiavelli’s Prince are adapted and used widely yet secretly in a complex world of growth and prosperity with a greater demography and geography.
Machiavelli’s The Prince was written more than 500 years ago and it is “one of the most influential and controversial books published in Western literature.” (Article A) It was about Machiavelli’s political philosophies and the basic principles of what he believes a politician or “prince” should be. The three main ideas of the Prince were “Liberality and Stinginess”, “Cruelty and Mercy: Is It Better to Be Loved Than Feared, or the Reverse?”, and “How a Prince Should Keep Their Promises” and for the most part many of his concepts should or are already instilled in our government.
Machiavelli stated “..., if the prince is reasonably assiduous he will always maintain his rule, unless some extraordinary and inordinate force deprives him of it; and if so deprived, whenever the usurper suffers a setback he will reconquer.” 1 Here Machiavelli proclaims that the natural prince will have the peoples support as long as the princes ambitions are moderate. Machiavelli also states that the natural prince will have less reason to cause the people to hate, when he states “ The fact is that the natural prince has less reason and less need to give offence; and so it follows that he should be more loved; ” 1 Now Machiavelli shifts his focus toward new states. Machiavelli states that new principalities are far more difficult to sustain than hereditary principalities for many reasons. Machiavelli claims that conquering new states is the most dangerous and difficult mission
Machiavelli in his famous book “The Prince” describes the necessary characteristics for a strong and successful leader. He believes that one of the most important characteristics is to rule in favor of his government and to hold power in his hands. Power is an essential aspect of Machiavelli’s theory, and a leader should do whatever it takes to keep it for the safety of his country because “the ends justifies the means.” To attain and preserve the power, a leader should rather be feared than loved by his people, but it is vital not to be hated. As he states, “anyone compelled to choose will find far greater security in being feared than in being loved.” If a leader is feared, the people are less likely to revolt, and in the end, only a threat of punishment can guarantee obedienc...
Many empirical things can often still be debated and refuted by experts, but there is a general admittance to the idea that power is the root of many evil things. In all fairness, we must admit that a many evil things can in their essence, be great. And that is one of the many theories advanced by Niccolo Machiavelli in his well-known work, The Prince. The Prince serves a dual purpose of both teaching a person how to attain power, but also how to retain it. Incredibly enough, history has proven most of Machiavelli’s findings and theories to work well, while some have failed to effectively secure power for the rulers who did, in fact try them. His work, does obviously highlight one main fact, which is, that power is a well sought-after attribute, and most who attain are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep it.
Machiavelli illustrates several key points in what it takes to be a "successful" Prince. In chapters 5-10, Machiavelli is giving us a true image of the coldhearted reputation he has carried throughout the years. He explains his ideas on taking over a "free" state or republic and how to conquer and rule with the peoples loyalty and respect.
The book The Prince was a book of advice to politicians regarding how gain power and keep that power. The title The Prince is not about someone who has inherited land and a decedent to a king. In Machiavelli’s perspective a prince was a man of the citizens....