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Commentaries on Machiavelli's Prince
Political thought of Niccolo Machiavelli in a book titled "the prince
Commentaries on Machiavelli's Prince
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Machiavelli was a Florentine Statesman. In 1512, the Florentine Republic collapsed and the Medico's came back into power. Machiavelli was labeled a traitor and was sent to prison where he was
tortured and threatened with execution.1 He was subsequently released into exile. He went to the
country and wrote “The Prince”. He had wanted to present it to Lorenzo Medici as a show of his
loyalty but it did not have the effect that Machiavelli had envisioned. He never would regain the
position in politics he had enjoyed earlier in life. “The Prince” though not published until five years
after his death, was Machiavelli' best known work.
One of the key chapters in “The Prince” is “Of Cruelty and Clemency and Whether
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Is it better for a ruler to be loved or feared by his subjects? Machiavelli replies that
one ought to be both feared and loved but it it is difficult for the two to go together. Therefore, it is
much safer to be feared more than loved. For a ruler or a government to maintain a civil orderly society
fear of punishment for breaking the rules must exist or civil disobedience may occur. This is an
admirable quality in a just ruler but is an abusive trait in a ruler who governs through fear alone.
Throughout history dictators have used “The Prince” has a guidebook on how to get and maintain
power. Joseph Stalin used fear to rule the Soviet Union. Anyone who did not agree with his ideas
were either executed or send to labor camps. He is said to have killed millions of political opponents.
Machiavelli stated that only when there is a manifest reason should a person's life be taken. I don;t
believe that opposing ones political thought is a just reason for the taking of ones life. Machiavelli
believed that a good leader refrained from taking a persons property. In contrast to this belief, Stalin
confiscated peoples farmland. He formed collective farms in which all the grains were sent to
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The supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il is a cruel
leader. He rules his county with an iron fist. The prisons are full of political opponents. His people
are kept isolated from the rest of the world. While his people are starving, his army is well-fed.
Religious activities are almost non-existent. To provide an illusion of religious freedom, government
related religious activities exist.3
Machiavelli ignores that men yearn to be free. The United States was founded on this principle.
America was a colony of Great Britain. In 1776, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and
delegated the task of writing a declaration of independence from Great Britain to Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, that are among these life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. He then lists the
grievances the colonists had toward the King of England. Among these grievances was being taxed
without their consent, leaving a standing army in peacetime, for abolishing their laws and suspending
our own legislatures. The United States gained their independence from the tyranny of Great
Leadership qualities demonstrate a vital role in the products of society. While governing over many individuals, it is necessary to manifest the required attributes and take precautions to lead a community as a whole to success. Lao-Tzu and Niccoló Machiavelli’s written works are prime examples on what it means to become a great leader, although they differ considerably in their views on the subject. The two historical figures offer distinct evidence on their approach to violence, their reputation, and the treatment of their subjects. Through opposing ideas and intake, Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli logically and carefully contemplate the appropriate means to maintain power.
When running for Presidential office, there are a lot of steps that must be taken in order to be a successful ruler. Machiavelli, a great political philosopher wrote The Prince, to advise princes of his time on how to rule. Although written in 1513, the advice he gives is directly relatable to present day. With his assistance any president can become a successful and powerful ruler.
Fear is a powerful tool. Throughout history, tyrants have used fear to pursue their ruthless ambitions as men fear death most of all. They threaten subjects with imprisonment, torture or being put to death. In order to eradicate any means of secondary thought, challenging their oppressive regimes violence is a tool and dictators are well equipped and not afraid to use it. History has shown this repeatedly. From Benito Mussolini to Adolf Hitler who killed and tortured countless thousands in World War 2, individuals were imprisoned without charge beaten at will cruelty became these dictators ruthless commodity.
We view The Prince as a guide for political power plays and remains a polarizing piece of literature that still guides politics today. However, much of what Machiavelli refers to in The Prince is out of date and doesn’t apply to the leaders of the United States. In some ways, The Prince helps guide those involved in politics because to be involved you must be ruthless and unforgiving, however, The Prince was written at a different time in history, when rulers used military might to obtain
Although signs of feudalism are seen in both, the citizens were granted protection in exchange for their produce. The political and economic systems of these societies, create trust towards the ruler and respect amongst the people. But however tolerant these societies were, the citizens had knowledge that actions that were to compromise the activities of the empire and therefor its leader, would lead to suffering and punishments. Successful leaders ought to be seen as understanding and a figure the people could trust, but a leader should never lose interest in inspiring fear and
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born May 3, 1469. He was an Italian writer, politician, and philosopher who’s considered very influential in modern political science. He was secretary of the Second Chancery in the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici, with help from Pope Julius II used Spanish troops to defeat the Florentines. After the Medici took power, they accused Machiavelli of conspiracy against them and soon after he was captured and tortured.
Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince is a basically a list of controvertible attributes of a great leader. Machiavelli does compares good attribute to bad ones. In his comparisons he points out that although some traits are considered honorable qualities of a prince, they are the ones that harm the authority of the prince the most. Machiavelli explains how it’...
Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli also referred to as Niccolo Machiavelli born May 3, 1469 is an Italian Renaissance many of talents and qualities. He was a historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer. Machiavelli’s most notorious masterpiece was a novel called The Prince, which consider the most untraditional novel of the Italians renaissance period. Although, Machiavelli knew the consequences of his masterpiece, still remain to release his work because of the need to reveal the truth of being a ruthless and tyrannical prince to restore political structure. The Prince is a manual for hereditary arising rulers or princes. A prince has to be a war hero/ leader, intelligent/strategic, money wisdom, cruelty/feared fighter, and knowing his enemies.
According to Machiavelli, there is no moral foundation that can be reference to determine whether the state's actions are legitimate or illegitimate outside of the state itself. For Machiavelli, authority and power are two concepts that cannot fall apart. Securing the state's power is just because it secures its citizens. Therefore, the state is justified in its actions, so long as it is projected towards this end goal in...
Enlightening persons from the average Joe to the high monarchs of countries, The Prince is one of the best, if not the best, books relating to politics of all time. Machiavelli explains how to gain power in a government and once you gain it, he explains how to keep it. The first few chapters of the book set the tone for the rest of the writing. Early in his work, he says that all high powers can be separated into two totally different groups: principalities and republics. The Prince is written with dictatorial type regimes, and not with republican regimes. Niccolò seems to ignore the republican regimes which must mean that, at the time, he did not think that this would get very far or would not help anybody. Machiavelli goes onto explain the various principalities and princes. He creates an outline for the rest of the book during this explanation. To become a prince, he says that there is no way any normal person can become one, as the way this is acquired is either by hereditary means or is appointed to by the stat...
“To ignore good, evil, religion, morality and immortality”. Machiavelli said you have to adjust to his actions in order to strengthen his state One thing that stood out to me was the question weather it is better to be loved more then feared. That is a great question he bought up. I think every politician wants to to be loved more then feared but, it is much safer for a leader to be feared then loved. As he talked about rather being feared he knows what decisions are going to be okay to make and not decide to harsh on one. The prince talks about how easily it is to be feared and also being hated at the same time. I think if anyone is running for something or plays an important role in society there is always going to be a greater chance in love you will get taken advantage of to a certain extent as if you are feared. If you are very loved by the people that are going to be voting for you or supporting you, its easier to make the wrong decision and your people can turn their backs against you. If that happens, you can then go from loved to hated. Then again it is important to be loved as a leader, the people will trust you more and I think you will have a batter chance at getting people doing more fulfilling
At Machiavelli's time everyone believed that an individual had much to offer to the well being of the state, Machiavelli
Chapter nineteen of The Prince deals with the idea that princes should complete actions that would make his subjects believe that he is outstanding. The concept behind this idea is the striking intended image that they want their subjects to see and make their decisions based on that intended image in order to keep power. As stated in chapter eighteen, “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know who you are…” (95). As long as the prince is able to make his subjects believe that he is outstanding then he will be able to keep his power.
The quote, derived from Machiavelli’s thoughts; “it is better to be feared than loved,” is supported by Beowulf in Beowulf and by Hrothgar in Grendel through their actions. Leaders have many choices to make; one of the most important choices is to decide if he prefers to be loved or feared by his followers. The main purpose of being a leader is to lead your followers into victory, rule your subjects and have a prosperous kingdom. So the question appears; is it better to be loved or feared.
During the time 1469, a child by the name of Niccolo Di Bernardo Del Machiavelli was born. Some may know him as an Italian philosopher, humanist, or an evil minded fellow associated with the corruptness of totalitarian government. In Machiavelli’s home state of Florence, he introduces the modern political theory. Hoping to gain influence with the ruling Medici family, Niccolo wrote a pamphlet called The Prince (Prezzolini). Niccolo lived a nondescript childhood and his main political experience in his youth was watching Savonarola from afar.