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Machiavelli's The Prince

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General Critique, Analysis & Synthesis with Class Materials

According to SparkNotes Editors (2002), „The Prince“ was created by Machiavelli in Florence, betweern 1513 and 1514, and only published after his death in 1532 (Key Facts section, para.1). During this period Italy was dusiunited and plagued by constant power struggle and wars among numerous Italian city-states and even the Roman Catholic Church. These conflicts were supported and sometimes initiated by foreign powers (Spain, France and Holy Roman Empire), which seeked to further their own interests and weaken each other. It is during these tough and dangerous times that Machiavelli decided to write a kind of a manual for rulers (princes) of Italy, which will help them to restore …show more content…

It is also important to mention that Machiavelli during this time was not in public service or actively involved in politics, because of his dismission from office in 1512, when the Medici fmily regained control over Florence. I mention this, because it is possible that he wrote this book to inspire the unification of Italy and the fight against foreign occupators, however another reason could be that he wanted to get Lorenzo de Medici’s attention and respect (the book was dedicated to Lorenzo), so that his former status and position in Florentine politics and diplomacy can be restored. Some critics and scholars say that his book was intended as a satire, to show how a ruler should not behave and that there should be a highrt ethical principle, which will influence the decision-making process. However, I disagree and I believe in practical and realist nature of this book, and I think that author’s intention was to influence the prince, who will implement the advice given in the world …show more content…

This means that the results are what matters, and any method or approach that helps you to achieve your goals is a good one, it does not matter is it ethical or not. Another thing I like about this book is the fact that it is rooted in practice and experience, and that it provides a lot of historical support for its case. Machiavelli also talks about the power of man to affect his destiny, which is still debated today and is a great problem in some socities, which are not willing to make an effort to change anything and are content with the status quo, because they believe it is what God wants for them. However, the author disagrees and argues that even if humans cannot avoid misfortune and troubles, they can prepare for them and attenute their impact. Thus he places greater responsibility and burden on an individual and the entire society, but at the same time he makes it clear that humans can with their own abilites and courage alter their destiny, and not depend completely on good fortune and God’s

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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.

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In addition, Machiavelli didn 't take the traditional route for supporting his argument of advice. He didn 't bother using any ethical or philosophical principles as the base for his advice he was trying to give. Instead, he used his own political program on real-life examples as his foundation to his treatise. Which is probably one of the reasons why "The Prince" got so much negative criticism. Machiavelli is practically stepping out of line by explaining what a prince should or should not do in pursuit of his

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Machiavelli talks about how power in a state can best be achieved. The purpose of his novel is to provide readers with a knowledge of how to take over and maintain control of a region. Machiavelli states there are different ways to rise and hold power successfully, and he discusses many different ways to govern a

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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.

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Then as an attempt to regain a political post and my family’s good favour, Machiavelli wrote The Prince, which was inspired by the shrewd and cunning Cesare Borgia in 1532! Which helped to fuel his fame up to this day! The notorious book espoused his views that strong rulers should be harsh with their subjects and enemies, and that any action with no moral views is okay to do so if the leader thinks it is so. ‘The prince’ was manly for advice to me- Lorenzo De Medici .He wrote that fear and deception were the best ways to allow better political control and for any rulers to remain in power.

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Niccolo Machiavelli was an observer in all he did. When he was the administrator and diplomat for the Florentine Republic, he contributed by reporting his findings and methods in surveilling others. His ideas were formed by noting the behaviors of those who were successful, and seeing the faults in those who were not. With that, he formulated sophisticated notions which earned him great esteem. Subsequent to his downfall after the Medici family returned to power, Machiavelli continued to study various leaders to find which qualities and strategies maintained a prince’s success.

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? ? ? ? ? Machiavelli (2003) states that people everywhere are anxious not to be dominated or oppressed by the nobles, and the nobles are out to dominate and oppress the people. This quote causes us to believe that nobles were manipulative of the common people. Machiavelli (2003) then states that the opposing ambitions could bring one of three results: a principality, a free city, or anarchy.?

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During his career he was able to study the science of politics and thought about its fundamental principles. Furthermore, he observed men and his view on humanity was not cheerful. Indeed, the pessimistic notion that humanity is evil is not so much Machiavelli’s conclusion about human nature as his premise for the course a ruler should follow. A prudent ruler…cannot

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Niccolo Machiavelli was a true product of circumstance and of the time period in which he lived. He witnessed first-hand how the bickering and in-fighting among the powerful Italian families, such as the Medici family, lead to poor governing and left them exposed to outside threats. He noticed how a ruthless family, the Borgias, was able to keep control of their territory and expand their power. He understood that a kind, cautious and just leader could not keep power for long. Machiavelli came up with his idea for an effective government in his treatise, “The Prince”.

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A leader’s cruelty enables him to make the decisions necessary for the kingdom, while also being miserly to keep the people happy. I think that Machiavelli’s advice provides a sound basis on how leaders today can lead. On other hand, others may argue that Machiavelli’s advice leads rulers astray and rather rulers should be kind and generous because morally that is the right thing to do. No matter the interpretation of how a ruler should lead, Machiavelli's analyst of a leaders provides insight into everyday life and causes leaders today to think about how they

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Nichole Jackson (Student No.13003235) Key Concepts of Cultural Analysis: Production of the Human Critical Commentary Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince addressed the problem of the ethics of rule from the viewpoint of both the prince and the people. Machiavelli sought to theorise how to construct a form of rule that combined both ethics and fear under conditions of circumstances.1 In order to provide background, it should be noted that this political manifesto was written in Florence, in the context of political upheavals of Renaissance Italy where there were pressing contemporary issues associated with the problems of Italian unification and the subordinate place of Italy in the structures of international relations.2 Machiavelli makes a number

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Machiavelli’s use of history tells us that its important to study history, because it prevents previous events that lead to a negative outcome from occurring again and it helps us to only repeat the events that lead to a positive outcome. The main focus of “The Prince” is to help Princes to acquire new principalities and how to keep them. Machiavelli uses history as a tool to show those who have acquired possession of a state to learn form the mistakes that previous prince has done. It also focuses on how other people have fallowed the actions of previous people that helped them get to victory. Lastly, Machiavelli sees history as a progressive thing since it can help “the moderns” to become better leaders by learning from the mistakes that

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Machiavelli's Political Views Niccolo Machiavelli is treated as “one of the founders of philosophy of history and one of the first to create a political science based on the studying of historical actions” (“Machiavelli's The Prince”). The man lived in 15th and 16th centuries, but his political views are still appropriate for today, despite the fact his ideas were called dishonest, sinister and cunning. The Prince is one of the most famous Machiavelli's political works. It was written in 1513 and was dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici. The book is unique “not because it explains how to take control of other lands and how to control them, but because it gives advice that often disregards all moral and ethical rules” (“Machiavelli's The Prince”).

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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.

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The Philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli The Prince and The Discourses J.Priyanka Dalagan & Louray Maria L. Rizon - September 14, 2015 Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli by Santi di Tito INTRODUCTION HISTORICAL BACKGROUND I. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 - 1527) Niccolò Machiavelli was a late 15th century adviser and political theorist who was born on May 3, 1946 in Florence, Italy to parents who were members of the old Florentine nobility. His father was a reputable lawyer, and so he received a formal education. Later on, he entered public service and worked under the Republic of Florence for fourteen years. When the Medici returned, Machiavelli lost his job, upon which began the period of his literary activity. He died at age 58 without having regained office, just weeks

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