ipl-logo

Machiavelli's The Prince

696 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Machiavelli's principles in the Prince

The Prince There is a lot of conservers in Machiavelli’s The Prince but a lot of what he said in this book makes sense a princes armies, mind, rule (how he rules his people) and/or people One of the many things Machiavelli writes about in his book is how a prince should rule his people. Machiavelli said that the prince should try to win the hearts of the people because there many people and only a handful of nobles. Machiavelli also said that a prince that understands his people and gives them handouts will never be betrayed by them because they are dependent on him for their benefits as seen In this sentence “a wise Prince should devise means whereby his subjects may at all times, whether favorable or adverse, feel the need of the …show more content…

Machiavelli states that a prince must lay good foundations, and those foundations include good laws and good armies. There cannot be good laws without good armies, and where there are good laws, there must be good arms but Machiavelli states that he will only talk about arms because he talked about laws in another book. Those who are well armed can live free, Machiavelli believes, and only princes that create their own armies can win because mercenaries do nothing unless they are paid to do so. In chapter 13 Machiavelli sees the mercenary men spiritless soldiers who are lazy and looking for the most money for the least amount of work no matter who benefited. Mercenaries were very untrustworthy because they worked for a prince's money, they were very likely to work for the prince's opponent. Mercenaries were nothing like having actual soldiers who would defend their own lands and homes and Machiavelli highly praised them. Auxiliaries on the other hand were troops loaned by another ruler and Machiavelli hated them and claimed they were even more destructive than mercenaries. While mercenaries are only self-interested, auxiliaries are loyal to someone else, namely a rival prince who could use them against the prince they were helping. Machiavelli thought that since the that was used forces belong to someone else that puts you in that person's

Show More
Related

First Global Age Analysis

716 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Machiavelli's Creation Of The Golden Calf

1247 Words | 5 Pages

Machiavelli had a great appreciation for Moses and the methods he used to retain his power, specifically in Exodus 32 where Moses punishes his people for the creation and worship of the Golden Calf. Machiavelli believes that violence is necessary for a leader to hold onto their power, “…all armed prophets have conquered, and the unarmed ones have been destroyed.” (6). Without a leader taking up arms it allows for others to usurp them and gain control. Moses goes so far to say “….

Read More

Compare And Contrast Pizan And Machiavelli The Prince

1056 Words | 5 Pages

Then for Machiavelli he talks about how a prince should show no fear instead for him to show that he is the one with power. That a prince's people should fear him. Both authors go on to talk on how their people react based on the prince and princesse act. The authors then go on to explain how they should view and run their people. Both authors also reflect the fact that the way their people are going to act towards them is mainly based off of how they treat them.

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

Thomas Jefferson And Niccolo Machiavelli's The Morals Of The Prince

762 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More

Generosity And Martin Luther's He

739 Words | 3 Pages

So, in Machiavelli’s point of view, as a politician, the purpose and intentions of one’s generosity is solely to get to their desired position, in this case the prince. The politicians will say numerous things they will do when they become a prince; however, once they actually become one, they no longer feel obliged to keep their promises, and most of the promises they made were merely to get the votes. This results in only a small fraction of the promises being kept, and these kinds of politicians are not so hard to find even in today’s

Read More

Political Ideologies In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

850 Words | 4 Pages

In the book, Machiavelli writes, “It is better to be feared than loved”. This statement reflects Machiavelli’s belief that rulers should be willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain power, even if it means using fear and violence to control their subjects. Machiavelli’s political ideology was a product of the historical and cultural context in which he lived. The Renaissance was a time of political and social upheaval, and Machiavelli’s philosophy of power and control was a response to the challenges of his

Read More

How Did Machiavelli Influence The Military

342 Words | 2 Pages

Machiavelli fundamentally believed that the states of pre-modern Europe should strive to emulate the war practices of ancient Romans during the Roman Republic period. Thus, he asserted that war should not be the primary calling of European men. Rather, Machiavelli stressed the vital importance of maintaining one’s nonmilitary occupation during times of peace. Machiavelli further asserted that a man’s decision to be inducted into the military should be based on a mixture of obligation and utter willingness to serve the state and its prince. Machiavelli also maintained that the success and continuance of an army was contingent upon timely and consistent payment, and constant drill and discipline, for “well ordered men, armed as well as unarmed,

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

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

Analysis Of Niccólo Machiavelli's The Prince

1519 Words | 7 Pages

In the book, Machiavelli believes in the idea of having a strong dominant leader, in order to preserve the benefits to the citizens as a group instead of individually. This strategy clearly shows in chapter seventeen where Machiavelli points out that every prince would prefer to be loved than to be feared. However, the two rarely co-existed. If one had to choose, it is not only better to be feared than to be loved but it is also much “safer” looking at it realistically. By safer, it means that you will not have to worry and watch out as much since people will be less likely to conspire against someone they fear than someone they love.

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

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

I. Machiavelli In his famous work the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli exposes what it takes to be a good prince and how only this good price and keep control over his state. There are many different qualities that make a man a good ruler but there are some that are more essential than others. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virtù and vices. Without these attributes there was no way that a prince could hold together their state and their people.

Read More

The Prince Moral Analysis

947 Words | 4 Pages

The statements mentioned by Machiavelli are words of advice for the prince to be as successful as possible during his time ruling. Although I myself am not a prince, I can analyze these statements using my own morals, which align with Machiavelli's point of view. When needed, the prince must take action to procure money, which could be done through raising tax prices excessively. According to Machiavelli, “This will begin to make him hateful to his subjects and, if he becomes impoverished, he will be held in low regard by everyone” (55). By this, I think he means that if the prince has not developed a good relationship with his people, he will not be accepted when he must make decisions that affect them.

Read More

More about Machiavelli's The Prince

Related Topics

Open Document