The Prince: A Decidedly unMedieval Piece of Work The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, was a secular handbook that dealt with modern statecraft and leadership. In fact, this was the first modern book that discussed political science. This book has influenced many well-known leaders, such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. This essay will discuss the past behaviours of Machiavelli to prove that this book, The Prince, is a decidedly unMedieval piece of work which does not follow the idea of living life so that it is worthy of respect and honour, as stated in the Medieval Code of Chivalry.
The main point made by Machiavelli was that men are inherently bad, so a leader must rule in a way that takes this into account. He taught that because of man’s ungratefulness, it is safer to be feared than loved (D-4). This shows that Machiavelli believed that the power and success of a country will lead to the prosperity of its inhabitants. Both influential people believed that a country prospers the most under absolute power.
In the book, “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli, he talks about how to maintain and capture a state. He also describes that you should encourage violence in your government in order to succeed. Machiavelli’s reasoning in Chapter 5 is that violence is the more efficient and effective way to conquer countries because its gets the job done easier and puts fear in the people eyes. For example, Machiavelli writes, … “in truth there is no safe way to retain them otherwise than by ruining them.” This quote goes back to his reasoning that in order to achieve your goal, you have to destroy whatever stands in its way.
Where Machiavelli believes all men are selfish and fickle, our soldiers show first hand all men are not selfish as they’re fighting and risking their lives over seas. A selfish man would not put his country first in the fight for justice, nor leave his family behind. While some soldiers are fighting for justice in the states, some are fighting for their families and an income. Whether they are fighting for the country or their family, they are anything but
After carefully reading the works of Lao-tzu and Machiavelli, it is evident that Machiavelli has the most ideal and relevant advice for today's society. Machiavelli believed that a leader's profession should always pertain to war as well as discipline. To forsake war would mean the loss of the state. Machiavelli argues further that there is no reason for the armed to follow the unarmed, therefore, it is difficult to acquire the willing obedience of the armed. Because of this, if a leader cannot master the art of war or can not understand it, he will
The first half of his life was spent in the Golden Age of Florence, the heyday of the Renaissance, and the second half in a period of war between France and Spain and other powers competing in Italy. 《 The prince》was written during the period of Machiavelli's dismissal from office, and he makes it clear that his purpose in writing the book was to offer it to the Florentine authorities for reappointment. In this book, he strives to demonstrate the political wisdom he has acquired through his long political practice, limiting his subject matter to the analysis of the monarchy, which is central to his discussion of how monarchs can retain their states. Machiavelli’s political ideology was shaped by his belief in the importance of power and the need for a strong, centralized government.
President Obama, and the previous presidents have endeavored to “preserve the state in a sea of insecurity” (Jones and Smith n.pag). This is indeed, what Machiavelli’s Art of War proposes. As Commander-in-Chief, Obama implied the following in his speech that: “The virtu of the soldiers is worth more than a multitude, and the site is often of more benefit than virtu” (Evans n.pag). The commitment of the State is, therefore, to serve the men and women in uniform who have served the country by risking their lives.
Machiavelli emphasises the importance of being armed, which is a stark contrast to Lao Tzu’s idea of an effective ruler abandoning all arms and violence. According to Machiavelli, familiarising oneself with military matters keeps not only the ruler and his power safe, but also his country. A ruler should constantly be alert and anticipate attack so that he may be well prepared for when an enemy should strike. Will this then guarantee the safety and stability of a country? As controversial as Machiavelli’s rhetoric may be, this is undoubtedly the more practical method, and it is clear that it is one that is still applied today.
Machiavelli generally believes that laws are good when followed naturally from a good military. He even states that war is necessary and is generally the cause of states that are well-formed and successful. Throughout the book, the idea of a good war is created along with how to fortify cities, treat newly found humans in new territories, and to prevent problems with domestic politics. He also believes that more than just the military is needed throughout a war. International diplomacy, geography, history, and tactical strategy are all described by the author.
Niccolo Machiavelli, in “The Prince,” declares his belief that a successful ruler must control his subjects through fear rather than earning their love. He explains that the love of man is dependent on their current state of happiness, and that they will turn against you if they are not benefiting from the arrangement. On the other hand, when a ruler has instilled fear amongst his subjects, they will live in predictable servitude because they are concerned for their own wellbeing and are afraid of punishment. Machiavelli starts off by providing two oppositional leadership styles. He then goes on to articulate the weaknesses of earning loyalty as a result of love and supports the value of his favored technique, fear.
1. Yes, I personally think Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince continue to influence today's political leaders such as Barrack Obama. He had given new laws during his presidency the most popular one is the same-sex marriage.
Niccolò Machiavelli, better known as the father of modern political theory, wrote the famous socio-political treatise The Prince, during a dark time in his career. In The Prince, there are several policies that can be found in the American government, specifically in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Many of our American leaders have adopted similar policies as Machiavelli's book is recognized as a political manual for many leaders. Obviously, there are many common themes in The Prince and The United States government's policies, such as the idea of arming one's citizens along with how leaders are brought to power; however, there are also many differences, in particular, the distribution of power in government.
One aspect of Machiavelli’s theory which significantly contributes to his reputation as the “philosopher of evil,” is his advice to the prince on keeping their word to the public. In chapter eighteen, Machiavelli states, “a wise ruler cannot, and should not, keep his word when doing so is to his disadvantage, and when the reasons that led him to promise to do so no longer apply” (pg. 37). To simplify, Machiavelli says princes are obligated to lie in certain circumstances. He also states that while it is unnecessary for the prince to have positive qualities, such as honesty, trustworthiness, sympathy, compassion, or be religious, it is essential for the prince to be viewed so by the public (pg. 37). While many people argue that Machiavelli’s legitimization of lying and deception in politics is immoral, I argue the opposite.
This essay highlights the importance of queen Elizabeth I’s speech to the soldiers that were about to go to war, so this essay will analyze how she uses the resources of language such as diction, imagery and sentence structure. In the essay there was a metaphor and an example of that is, “I have the heart of a king, and of a king in England” and the meaning of that is that she is comparing her self to the power a king would have and that she is a strong women and capable of motivating the soldiers by saying that. And also another metaphor example is “and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down, for my god and what is meant by this is that she is claiming to be weak but she isn’t. There was also first person narration
This is a work that still influences us today and is still relevant in today’s complex society. Some of the most prominent leaders of the 20th century have been influenced by Machiavellian ideas. U.S Presidents like Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton and U.K Prime Minister Anthony Blair are called Machiavellian leaders today. According to Machiavelli a prince must focus all his serious time and energy to war and how to wage it (Machiavelli, 31).
