Machiavelli's Ideas Of An Efficient Political Power

Efficient Political Power

Over the past few thousand years, political power has been used in a variety of different ways across the world. Power by the ruler is used to control the behavior of their own people and to lead them to glory. As seen by Catherine of Siena, Geoffrey of Monmouth and Niccolo Machiavelli, effective power can be exhibited in multiple ways. Catherine of Siena, a saint philosopher and doctor of the church, Machiavelli, the father of political science, and Geoffrey of Monmouth, a British cleric, all have different, but some similar visions of effective power. Political Power is mainly different among Catherine, Machiavelli and Geoffrey: Catherine thinks that one needs to practice justice to rule well, Machiavelli thinks

Catherine of Siena believes that a ruler must rule through justice to obtain effective political power. Additionally, to rule effectively to her was to have faith in God. To know the truth according to her is to see "that only living in the fear of God preserves their position and the city in face" (Catherine 42). If a ruler has respect and praise for God, then they will be guided from above. In addition, Catherine believes that an effective ruler must exhibit mercy to those who justify. Evidently, this corresponds with her beliefs of the church in which God never shows mercilessness to those who have disobeyed him. To display mercy, Catherine believes that it must be "seasoned with mercy and not the result of impulsive anger" (Catherine 42). Motivation, according to Catherine, should not be because of a personal benefit, but only for the common good. A ruler should not be concerned

A ruler should not aim to be loved because men are wicked and ungrateful. Machiavelli believes that men will betray their ruler "at every opportunity of their own utility" (Machiavelli 67). On the contrary, a ruler should be feared so that his men will never betrayal him because of the dread of punishment. This type of fear, servile fear, is different to Catherines idea of filial fear of God. Like Catherine's beliefs, Machiavelli also believes that an effective ruler should be merciful to those that deserve it. Evidently, Machiavelli explains, "A prince, therefore, so as to keep his subjects united and faithful, should not care about the infamy of cruelty" (Machiavelli 65). Also, he believes that too much mercy will create disorder whereas killings and robberies would occur too often. What is different about Machiavelli's beliefs, is that he thinks being mean is an extremely effective way to rule. Although mean may seem as a lousy way to call a ruler, he thinks that rulers should not be bothered by the word. Machiavelli believes that a prince should not establish a reputation for generosity or he will destroy his state. For instance, he states, "in our times we have not seen great things done except those who have been considered mean; the others have been eliminated" (Machiavelli 63). Clearly, Machiavelli believes that to become a powerful ruler one must be mean, not generous.