The Prince Research Paper

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Gür Ağcı Ms. Amy 12 Advanced English 11 May 2015 YEARLY PROJECT Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: A Follower of The Prince One of the most notable philosophers of the Renaissance age, Machiavelli truly opened a new era in political philosophy. Up until then, philosophers such as Rousseau, Marx and Plato elaborated on the ideal instead of basing their ideas on real life events. Machiavelli objected his predecessors and defended: “There is such a gap between how one lives and how one should live that he who neglects what is being done for what should be done will learn his destruction rather than this preservation” (Machiavelli, 72). In this sense, Machiavelli introduced the term political realism. In his most established work The Prince, he outlined …show more content…

Prime minister, now president Erdoğan is definitely one of these figures. Erdoğan accomplished great and unprecedented success by winning every election and referendum since he came to rule in 2002. Some say that he is a ruthless tyrant who polarized the nation, whereas some think that he is a remarkable leader with his sharp attitude to every pressing issue. Defend him or not, vote for him or not, it is undisputable that his ability to persuade the masses is incredible. Erdoğan achieved and sustained this power listening to Machiavelli’s advice by acting immoral, not hesitating to lie, using excessive power to shut his opponents and choosing good …show more content…

Since modern republics are too complex to be governed by man, a wise leader has to choose qualified advisors to assist him in ruling. In this matter Machiavelli said: “The choice of advisers is very important for a prince: Advisers are able or not, depending on the prince’s wisdom. One can assess a prince’s intelligence by looking at the men with whom he surrounds himself” (Machiavelli, 108). Erdoğan has six advisors; four of them are owners of public poll companies (Hakan). For example, Ertan Aydın, a Harvard graduate is the owner of the Pollmark. Having these people as his advisors, Erdoğan shows that he values these public polls. By this way, he can scientifically produce his propaganda. He can consider the needs of the people while constructing his