Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince And Leadership In The Modern World

Niccolo Machiavelli was a fifteenth century diplomat and historian. Born in Florence in 1469, he lived during a turbulent time in Italy’s history when the division and rivalry between city-states made Italy vulnerable to external powers such as France and Spain. Although he created many other works such as plays and poems, his most famous work is perhaps The Prince. Machiavelli is primarily remembered for his political works and is known as the father of modern political thinking (Monte, 2013; Wilcox, 1975).

To understand Machiavelli’s work, it is important to understand the times in which he lived and his personal experiences that influenced his work. Machiavelli served in the Florentine republic in several capacities until the Medici

In his dedication he writes “…which work I have not embellished with swelling or magnificent words…nor with any intrinsic allurements or adornments whatever..”(Machiavelli, 1513). We can find support for the reality of what Machiavelli writes in our own modern times. Certainly leaders such as Hitler and Stalin have been described as “Machiavellian” but only in the most negative sense. One example of a great leader that could be seen as following most of Machiavelli’s advice is one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln. Of course, Lincoln is considered an honest and moral person, and he achieved great things such as emancipation of the slaves. However, he also was a strong leader who was not unwilling to do whatever was necessary to preserve the Union, not just the use of force. The Emancipation Proclamation itself, while morally correct, could be viewed as a political and military tool to undermine the Confederate States. It did not free all the slaves, only those in the territories that were in rebellion against the United States. Also, during the civil war, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, a basic constitutional right. Lincoln surrounded himself with intelligent advisors and was willing to listen to others council and learn, but made his own decisions in the end. Much as Machiavelli describes Moses and others in chapter IV of The Prince, Doris Kearns Goodwin describes Lincoln in Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, in this way “It was history that gave him the opportunity to manifest his greatness, providing the stage that allowed him to shape and transform our national life” (pg XIX; Machiavelli, 1513; Goodwin,