A Critical Analysis Of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli. One of the most well known of the Renaissance writers, he is noted and praised for his novel The Prince. Published in 1532, The Prince gave leaders advice on how to rule their country. Machiavelli’s advice included concepts about war, appearance, and ideals one should hold, without regard to moral or social standards. Among his ideals were that of benefiting the State over one’s self, throwing virtues out the door, despite what it may do to a leader’s reputation and appearance. Many experts believe that Machiavelli’s work was satirical, and would negatively impact a ruler. Others believe Machiavellian concepts were meant to appeal to the Medici family, and currently stand. In today’s world, Machiavelli’s political advice

Different locations will include different results, so one must be prepared. Machiavelli stresses the importance of being educated in war, because a regular person can become ruler with that knowledge. Depending on a State’s geographical area, a leader must be able to control the land. If the land is too large, the leader’s army will be stretched thin, and rebellion will occur. If the area is small, the subjects will be able to flee to bordering countries easily. One factor that also determines success is population. The larger the population, the larger the army needed to contain the subjects in case of rebellion. If the people do rebel, the leader’s army will take a staggering blow, and weaken the governing rule. With a smaller population, an army’s power can easily usurp the people, but the cost is the significance of the

The three main types of government include democracies, oligarchies, and autocracies, differing in ideals and functions. Implementing a democracy will guarantee a leader’s demise, no matter the situation. Because of the systems of checks and balances, No one individual can attain more power than another individual or group, and the possibility of impeachment is always on the table. The people’s vote is key for a politician, and one cannot attain the expected leadership if the people despise the politician. However, oligarchies include a much higher success rate than the aforementioned democracy. Oligarchies are composed of a group of people who share the same ideals, usually with a “face”. Therefore, leaders’s decisions concerning a State will almost always be in agreement, and progress will move relatively quickly. One predicament a politician may find themselves in includes leadership issues. An individual may designate themselves the alpha, and oppress the others. Becoming the alpha must be one’s priority, and can be achieved by fear. In The Prince, Machiavelli stated it was better to be feared than loved, because people are fickle and will change allegiances. Although oligarchies may appear to be the best choice, one may want to consider Joesph Stalin’s control over the USSR. The last form of government is autocracy, in which one ruler has sole power over a country.