Machiavelli's Prince Rules In An Autocratic State example essay topic

Niccolo Machaivelli, an Italian aristocrat / Florentine statesmen, had been a major influence in Renaissance Italy, as well as in Europe. In a time of continuous conflicts between the states of Italy, the threat of invasions from Spain and France, Machaivelli remained to be a valuable member in the game of politics. He believed Italy could survive only if united by a strong leader. He was believed to be the most famed writer of the renaissance.

His most admired work "The Prince (1513) " is often used, by modern day politicians, as a blueprint to political power; however, while most people had considered the book to be useful for its realism, others had found it to be evil for its immorality. He suggests that it is better to be feared than loved, to be a master at deception appearing to be virtuous but ready to use ruthless acts; and a generous reputation will harm you. These points are important to address, not only does it concern foreign affairs but it concerns the interests of humanity, which Machiavelli devalued. Lorenzo de Medici, to whom the book was intended for, had discarded it, most likely because Machiavelli's view of humanity was not too great.

Being a feared man, during a time of danger, does not necessarily benefit the prince. He says it is better to be feared because love is voluntary; the people control whether they will support the leader and since people are a "sorry lot" they will turn against him. Fidel Castro, when he started the revolution in Cuba 1950's, was a loved man. When the revolution had failed to overthrow the Cuban government, after so many people had been killed, the people never left his side; Castro rose to power using love. Batista, the Cuban president, was a feared man; yet in a time of danger, the people still turned against him; he was exiled.

Cesare Borgia, who Machiavelli admired, used fear and cruelty to control his regime; although he had been successful in leadership, he was also a despised man and was eventually exiled. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln, a loved man, in a time of conflict, did not use fear to keep his country united and he was one of the most admired presidents in American history. Machiavelli's view of human nature becomes clearer when he advises the prince that he should master the art of deception. His view of human nature "Men are naturally deceitful and untrustworthy; they are likely to break promises, they are easily impressed by appearances and results, they are selfish but somewhat na " ive, they respect and praise virtue, but most do not possess it themselves". These assumptions about the basic behaviors and attitudes of the general population underlie all of his suggestions for the actions of princes. If the populace is intelligent, well-educated, and acutely aware of history, the prince will not be able to generate the misleading image that Machiavelli argues is essential to a successful leadership.

Although these assumptions may or may not be true, Machiavelli is much more willing to make unconfirmed generalizations about human nature than about history. His historical examples are painstakingly accurate and demonstrate Machiavelli's great intellect. But he does not support his descriptions of human behavior with the same wealth of evidence. Although the proposal that a prince must exude a false aura of virtue may seem merely one more kind of deception that the prince must learn to master, Machiavelli's advice here remains valid even in contemporary politics.

Although some of Machiavelli's writing might be dismissed as irrelevant to democratic political life, his perceptive analysis of the importance of image is still accurate. Machiavelli points out that image is as important as action, and that rulers must manipulate the perceptions of the populace to appear as other than who they really are. A prince should eagerly take credit for successes and place responsibility for unpopular laws on the shoulders of nobles or lesser officials. Of course, the prince's aim is not to be loved, but merely to avoid being hated. Although Machiavelli's prince rules in an autocratic state, he must nonetheless practice the kind of politics of image demanded within republics and democracies. Is Machiavelli a Machiavellian?

Lorenzo de Medici was considered to be one of the most influential men in the world. The Florentine economy was great; the lower-class enjoyed a greater level of comfort and protection. During his rule Florence became the most important city-state in Italy and the most beautiful in all of Europe. The intention is to persuade Lorenzo de Medici into using fear to control his state. Machiavelli lists all the qualities a prince must appear to have and all the qualities he must stay away from. Although it had been Lorenzo who brought Savonarola back from exile in Bologna, the friar soon accused his benefactor of ruining the state and squandering the wealth of the people.

These accusations bega in to undermine Lorenzo's support among the people of Florence. Florentine were so moved by Lorenzo's premature death that the entire population attended his funeral. Lorenzo may have discarded "the prince" because of devaluation of humanism, which was the backbone of the renaissance. He did not see people in a good way; he believed that man by nature was corrupt. He over generalizes: but it was Borgia who would do the most to shape Machiavelli's opinions about leadership. Borgia was a cunning, cruel, and vicious politician, and many people despised him.

Nevertheless, Machiavelli believed Borgia had the traits necessary for any leader who would seek to unify Italy. Pope Alexander, King Louis XII In 1502, Cesare Borgia was commander of the pope's army. One of his goals in writing The Prince was to win the favor of Lorenzo de' Medici, then the governor of Florence and the person to whom the book is dedicated; the book began to be criticized as immoral, evil, and wicked. The people don't care if he occasionally uses evil to achieve his goal, as long as he appears good and righteous and is very successful at running his state, he will be regarded as good. If it gets the objective done, why the fuck not! Advantage is everything...

Virtue, the ability and skill. ". The ends justify the means". the. Professional and personal... Just like war; it is not good to be in combat and still have morals, its like water and oil; . they don't mix. All that counts is the objective...

It does not matter what you do, as long as the outcome is great. Really what I want to say here, is that Machiavelli had some very good theories, nevertheless, he was to corrupt and brutal. And what I mean by this is that he did not give a shit about anybody. There is no question that all he had in mind was perfectionism.

To have the ability to control every obstacle that can come in harms way. a prince must be like a fox, avoiding traps.