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Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

1479 Words6 Pages

What does it mean to be a Machiavellian? Webster’s dictionary defines it as one being “cunning and scheming especially in politics”, but that term means much more than that. It refers to Niccolo Machiavelli, who is mostly remembered for his writing entitled “The Prince”. Machiavelli’s “The Prince” was said to be the most widely read book of its time. Published in 1532, it brought up many debatable outlooks regarding human nature, power, politics, and morality. Niccolo Machiavelli was the first one in his time to speak out against the rulers in his country with the force that he portrayed in his writing. His position and perspective on life and man provided a whole new genre of thinking. It is evident from his literature that to be considered …show more content…

Not only was he one of the first to write about “real politics” but also he gave a guideline of what to do and what not to do for a ruler. A “Machiavellian” is one that portrays a strong sense of leadership, with little trust in others, and a primary goal of keeping power. Machiavelli describes the perfect ruler being one that keeps a strong military presence and keeps his subjects under tight authority. Machiavelli believes that having a good military coincides with having strong laws, which is evident in his quote from The Prince, “the presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound laws”. He goes into detail about the importance of having successful war because in his opinion that is the foundation of which more states is built. He also covers how to treat subjects, and prevent distractions that could work against a military in war. Machiavelli also made sure to remind the ruler that he must avoid the hatred of his people, even if he is not necessarily loved. He believes that a ruler should appear virtuous, full of compassion and generosity, but not act like it because that could be

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