Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco’s Application of Machiavellianism The existence of power in all of its forms has ruled earthly nature for as long as time. Taking this into account, the forces that have governed even the simplest of interactions, such as the alpha system of a wolf pack, or the superior covalent bonds seen in water molecules that require an excessive amount of energy to be broken, reveal that there is a plethora of instances where power is capable of determining the state of interactions within life and the fundamental laws of physical elements. Inevitably, the ideals of power managed to seep into the minds of humans, dominating its presence in practically every aspect of human values and culture, and shaping the organization …show more content…
Machiavelli attributed characteristics of cunning, duplicity, and purely objective decisions to any great prince, claiming “ it follows that a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honor his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist” (Machiavelli, ch. 18). Francisco Franco demonstrated this very principle a countless number of times, including the many false statements he made during WWII, such as claiming he was “savior of the Jews”, despite his anti semitic views (parenthetical). His people were under the impression that the Jews were allowed to inhabit Spain, but in reality they were only allowed to travel through Spain. Franco was once heard stating, “My entire life is work and reflection,” yet this does not follow suit with his preference of staying apart from the actual political work as he aged, playing golf and hunting instead (parenthetical reference). As a leader, Franco’s image was always on the line, and as Machiavelli noted, “Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many…”(Machiavelli, ch. 18). Therefore, it was crucial to Franco that he maintained a good reputation, resulting in his repeated lies that pleased the people, but contradicted his personal views. Franco understood that he had to appear to be acceptable in every move he made or word he said in the public eye in order to prevent disorder from erupting within his country. Franco adequately facilitated the art of cloaking one’s true self from the eyes of the masses, confirming that sixteenth century Machiavellian methods are still relevant in modern times, but Franco, nonetheless, made several
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina is without a doubt one of the most known figures within the Dominican history. The “Era de Trujillo” (The Trujillo Era) occupied the Dominican Republic for the long period of thirty-one years. His dictatorship started in 1930 and ended with his assassination on May 30, 1961. Trujillo’s Career began with the occupation of the United States in 1916. During this time he was trained in a military school, and became part of the National Police, a military group made by the Unites States to maintain order in the Dominican Republic . Trujillo stood out during his military career and rapidly ascended within the military ranges. Under the government of Horatio Vasquez Trujillo received the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was put in charge of chiefs and assistant commanders of the National Police . This new position gave him the opportunity to be part of the overthrowing of Horatio Vasquez. Trujillo was sworn into presidency on August 16, 1930. Marking the beginning of what is known as the cruel, violent and controversial part of history in the Dominican Republic.
What I have gathered from this analysis is mainly the duality of power. It is at times both
As told by Jim Grove, power is a “desire in all man that ceaseth only with death.” Many crave power, yet only few know how to maintain it. In the novel, The Battle of Jericho and the films, Apocalypse Now and Citizen Kane, rank or position, pride and gender inequality promote power in lives of the protagonists and significant characters. Each element indirectly correlates with advancement of power.
Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control. When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).
...form of power. The subject that is currently in control is not in control for the long run. There are other opposing forces that will eventually come along to overthrow subjects in power. If the world stayed the same and power never shifted then we as a human race would be destined for failure. Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet, but we can look in our school’s history textbooks and find plenty of situations where certain regimes didn’t hold out and were annihilated by others. This is a natural cycle of the universe that prevents too much power from existing. It’s important for individuals living today to be able to recognize the power within them and the power that’s morally and rightfully accessible to them. Moreover, it’s important for people to understand the boundaries and limits of today’s society and that a relationship with power is fragile; don’t abuse it.
The battle zone has become further entrenched between the protesters and the government in the Capitol of Venezuela, Caracas. With 13 dead and 150 injured tension between Nicolás Maduro and his people is at an all time high (Glusing). In the post Hugo Chavez world not only has Maduro failed to inspire the confidence of his people, but his inability to deal with rising economic woes has only worsened his relationship with his people. Machiavelli in his works The Prince and The Discourses, deals with how a leader should deal, interact, and satisfy his subjects. Thus, Machiavellian lens could be critical to best explain the current state of tension within Venezuela. To do this it is first necessary to explain Machiavelli’s method, second understand his conceptual framework, and third evaluate the situation through his work, before finally addressing limitations.
To begin with, power presented in Mosca and Weber can be generally defined as an ability possessed by a person or group of people to influence others. In addition, putting aside definitions of power defined by previous authors such as Hobbes and Blau, power can be described as the ability to possess and preserve a value or tradition represented at the time. Expanding on this idea, individual and collective power, that is, power in the hand...
Niccolo Machiavelli stressed that “one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved…for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.” He felt that a true leader must be cunning and deceptive, winning the hearts of his people through power and influence. If he could not be liked, he could at least get by knowing he has intimidated these below him into submission. However rash or cruel this may seem, Machiavelli’s argument is not one to be countered easily.
Have you ever wondered how in every dystopian book you’ve read, the future is always caused by somebody who used power negatively. Coincidence? “The idea of power is all around us. It means “...the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.” But is that influence always used in a positive way? The influence that comes with power depends a lot on what a particular individual or group does with that power.” Power can lead to greatness, but overall it leads to disaster and doom through negative use.
Power is the demise of the world. For example, after Hitler rose to power, he was only seen abusing it. He annexed countries, killed innocent civilians, and started a world war. His misuse of power overall cost over fifty million lives. This may be in the past, but the abuse of power is still prevalent to today.Similar to how power is seen in literature as constantly being exploited by numerous people. Thus, leading to the verdict that the literature analyzed this course consists of power being abused.
Since the beginning of recorded history Power, something that can't be put together in a single concrete definition, has been powering and accelerating human evolution and the growth of civilizations. To have control over... has been the main concern of all civilizations, since the early Sumerian hegemony all the way to the Powerful United States with a National Power Index of 0.90 by 2011.
According to the paper presented, I believe that power is the most essential element for the human progress, since it’s about changing intentions to actions. In organization it’s about sharing information, about working together and running the company in the best interest of everyone. According to my learning, I believed that it changes nothing, no one can predict the result of a decision and we spend more time living with the consequence of our decision than making them. In turn we should focus on getting things done rather than thinking of the consequence.
In the eyes of all who are affected by it power is a term to describe
Power is defined in the course study notes as the “ability of individuals or groups to get what they want despite the opposition”. Power is derived from a variety of sources including knowledge, experience and environmental uncertainties (Denhardt et al, 2001). It is also important to recognize that power is specific to each situation. Individuals or groups that may be entirely powerful in one situation may find themselves with little or no power in another. The county Registrar of Voters, who is my boss, is a perfect example. In running the local elections office, she can exercise the ultimate power. However, in a situation where she attempted to get the county selected for a desirable, statewide pilot project, she was powerless, completely at the mercy of the Secretary of State. Power is difficult to measure and even to recognize, yet it plays a major role in explaining authority. In organizations, power is most likely exercised in situations where “the stakes are high, resources are limited, and goals and processes are unclear” (Denhardt et al, 2001). The absence of power in organizations forces us to rely on soley hierarchical authority.
Power has been described as the last dirty word. Money is easier than power for most people to talk about. People who have power deny it; people who want power try not to appear to be seeking it, and those who are good at getting power are secretive about how they got it (Kanter, 1979). The essence of power is control. In organizational behavior power is defined as the ability of controlling the behavior of others. Power is the force one uses to get things done. Power and leadership should not be confused. Leadership achieves goals and power is the means to facilitate their achievement. Power focuses on the tactics for gaining compliance while leadership focuses on style.