ipl-logo

Machiavelli's Influence On American Government

950 Words4 Pages

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. The United …show more content…

Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”(Article 1 Section 1) Both houses in Congress have representatives from each state, in order to represent the positions and opinions of all fifty states. Machiavelli, however, did not believe in having so many people counselling the leader was effective. Machiavelli explains how it is more beneficial to have ministers than to have nobles. With ministers, the leader is the only ruler in the country and therefore, ministers will remain loyal to the ruler since he is the one who selects them. “Either by a prince, with a body of servants, who assist him to govern the kingdom as, ministers by his favor and permission … do not bear him any particular affection.” (Machiavelli 16) Ministers are picked by the leader of the territory, and that by picking ministers; it causes the citizens to hold their prince with more consideration. Machiavelli and the United States Constitution clearly disagree on this policy since Machiavelli argues there should be more control in how government is run. That's not the way the Founding Fathers wanted this country to run since it limits the people's power in …show more content…

There is no coincidence that the United States Constitution holds similar ideas to The Prince. Not only because of The Prince’s proven effectiveness in government, but because Machiavelli had experience on what did, and did not work in government. Clearly, The Prince and The United States government's policies have many common themes, like arming one's citizens, along with how leaders are brought to power. However, The United States Constitution does differ from Machiavelli's The Prince in that he believes there should be more control on how government should run. Without Machiavelli's The Prince, The United States of America would not have the same effective government structure

Show More
Related

How Do You Respond To The Articles Of Confederation Dbq Essay

528 Words | 3 Pages

After breaking ties with the British government, the colonies had a new found independence and needed a system that unified the states and created a strong form of government. The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 as a loose organization in which majority of the power were given to the states and put into effect in 1781. However, problems arose within the Articles that caused the colonists to doubt its effectiveness. The state delegates revised the document and created the Constitution which had many changes and little remained the same.

Read More

Machiavelli And Rousseau's Analysis

401 Words | 2 Pages

When comparing Machiavelli and Rousseau’s presentation on human nature, one can see that Machiavelli’s idea of human nature was completely opposite compared to Rousseau’s idea of human nature. Machiavelli was a realist, and had a rather negative view on human nature. He assumed that men by nature are evil, and are driven by their own selfish wants and needs. In a society where they are free, everything becomes unorganized and confusing. In Machiavelli’s, The Prince, he states that, “Men never do good except out of necessity, but when they have the freedom to choose and can do as they please, everything becomes confused and disorderly (182).”

Read More

The Prince Rhetorical Analysis

676 Words | 3 Pages

In Niccolo Machiavelli's book, The Prince (1513), he evaluates on how a prince can be a successful leader. Machiavelli’s purpose of this guidebook was to construct his argument to the rising ruler Giuliano de Medici for when he comes to power in Florence. He adopts a casual but authoritative tone in order to convince the prince that Machiavelli’s evaluation on how to be the best prince, is the right thing for the prince to do without coming off as he knows more than the prince or is trying to intimidate him.. Machiavelli’s reference to previous rulers and whether their tactics failed or succeeded helps to benefit his credibility along with his allusion to historic text. He appeals to our logic by simply stating a prince can only do what is within his power to control, and his use of an analogy furthers his argument.

Read More

Comparing The Morals Of Prince And Letter From Birmingham Jail

837 Words | 4 Pages

Accordingly, we see that politicians avoid uses of virtue or in other words principles for his own interest which include his own security. Finally, Machiavelli describes a point of view that those in power take on the nature of humans. To rather be safe and protect their interest Machiavelli shows that politicians corrupt principles we base public policy on by stating “ For it is a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers, fearful of danger and greedy for gain”(866). In sum, Machiavelli depicts politicians taking different points of view on principles therefore public policy in

Read More

Similarities Between Frederick Douglass And Machiavelli

1886 Words | 8 Pages

He writes that for a government to be successful, the master must allow everything to work around them, without trying to stop of change the universe. They must simply allow the people to believe that they are in complete control and that their master only helps to put all things into motion. Niccolo Machiavelli took a much different approach to his idea of government. He wrote that the ‘prince’ of a land must be extremely deceitful to maintain their power. The prince must always assume that someone else is planning to take him out.

Read More

Electoral College Strengths And Weaknesses

976 Words | 4 Pages

The Electoral College When the Founding Fathers congregated and drafted the government of the newly-formed America, they wanted a system that would not produce a tyrant, but could also produce a strong executive that would lead and consider the people. They created a system in which power could be checked and with hope, incorruptible. Distributing political power into the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches, and an elaborate process to elect leaders in each, the American Constitution was a document revolutionary in its conception. There are irrefutable strengths of the Constitution, just as there are undeniable weaknesses, however both are huge influences on the shaping of our modern political arena. As discussed in this paper,

Read More

Age Of Absolutism Dbq

733 Words | 3 Pages

In 1513, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote “The Prince,” telling rulers how they should rule. (Document 1) Many of the ideas in his book are shown in the ways these rulers governed their people. King Louis XIV believed if there were multiple people had power more would take advantage of it (Document 3) which is a major idea from “The Prince,” stating “for love is held by a bond of obligation, which, as men are wicked, is broken whenever personal advantage suggests it.” (Document 1).

Read More

The Failure Of Leadership In Machiavelli's The Prince

981 Words | 4 Pages

The Prince, written by Machiavelli, is a candid outline of how he believes leaders gain and keep power. Machiavelli uses examples of past leaders to determine traits that are necessary to rule successfully. Leaders such as the King of Naples and the Duke of Milan lacked military power, made their subjects hate them, or did not know how to protect themselves from the elite, causing them to lose power. He says that these rulers should blame laziness, not luck, for their failures. By looking at these historical successes and failures, Machiavelli is able to develop his own thoughts on how politics and leaders should be in the future.

Read More

Primary Source Precis Of The Prince

647 Words | 3 Pages

Primary Source Précis This primary source, The Prince, was written by Machiavelli and distributed in 1513. In 1500 Machiavelli was sent to France as a diplomat. While he was there he saw many things that inspired his book. One of them was the deal that Pope Alexander made with King Louis XII. The deal was that King Louis could have his marriage annulled and in return the King would make the Popes son Cesare Borgia, a duke.

Read More

Machiavelli's Use Of Lying And Deception In Politics

954 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Qualities Of A Good Man In Machiavelli's The Prince

1284 Words | 6 Pages

In Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, he maintains a harsh perspective on reality. His advice on how to maintain power leaves no room for compassion or generousity. While some may believe that these are qualities of a good person, Machiavelli believes these qualities lead to the downfall of rulers. He acknowledges that, in reality, it is impossible for someone to have qualities of a good person and simultaneously a good ruler. Machiavelli’s realistic outlook causes him to emphasize that it is better to maintain power through fear, rather than compassion.

Read More

The Good And Bad Characteristics Of Machiavelli As A Prince

823 Words | 4 Pages

Being a prince is not as easy as it may seem. There are good and bad decisions a prince can make. Machiavelli has his own standards on how a prince should behave. According to Machiavelli, a prince could be considered a lion, a fox, or a wolf. The lion is fierce but doesn’t have the smarts, while a fox has the smarts but isn 't fierce.

Read More

Erasmus Vs Machiavelli

1034 Words | 5 Pages

Both of these highly influential authors had different opinions on ruling that would shape how people would rule during their time and for rulers to come. One of Machiavelli’s major points in The Prince was that it was better to be feared than to be loved. He said this was because while both ways can be useful tools to help one rule, men are less likely to turn a ruler if they were afraid of punishment. Machiavelli had little faith in the common man and had this to say about them, “They are ungrateful, fickle, deceptive and deceiving, avoiders of dangers, eager to gain”(pg.353).

Read More

Machiavelli: The Characteristics Of Being A Good Prince

1526 Words | 7 Pages

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).

Read More

The Prince Reflection

1021 Words | 5 Pages

In his novel, the prince, nicolo machiavelli guides us to be a fruitful ruler. He clarifies the best routes for any ruler or sovereign to govern a region, bring prosper to the society, and keep up their position. This book can be read by anyone to get a few pointers on political issues. Most of the thoughts held by machivelli were linked to mercilessness and evil, hence they raised a considerable number of eyebrows. He maintains that the ruler 's primary goal should be conquering, staying in control of the general public and to always have the idea of war in mind.

Read More

More about Machiavelli's Influence On American Government

Related Topics

Open Document