Niccolo Machiavelli: What Makes A Good Leader?

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Up until 1532 leaders in Italy were supposed to rule according to traditional ethic norms (Niccolo). This was until The Prince. The Prince is an essay that Niccolò Machiavelli wrote during a time of political conflict in Italy. This essay was his attempt to end the conflict and bring resolution to the peninsula (Niccolo). However; it did quite the opposite, instead it brought more conflict and uneasiness to the people. While many disagree with Machiavelli’s points about what makes a good leader, I find them favorable. While leaders during this time were expected to please everyone, Machiavelli makes the point that it is not possible to do so. One argument he makes is “A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily …show more content…

Secondly, Niccolò states that the reputation of those who are put above others brings them either praise or blame (669). This statement basically means that qualities that make a person unique or the actions they make, make them desirable or hated. For example, when Trump proposed that he was going to build a wall along the border of Mexico it made many people change their views towards him, and impact the rest of his presidency. Machiavelli also stated “I know that everyone will admit that it would be highly praiseworthy in a Prince to possess all the above-named qualities that are reputed good, but as they cannot all be possessed or observed, human conditions not permitting of it…” (670). This is saying that it is impossible to possess every good …show more content…

His points about being a good leader such as not being able to please everyone and spending brought disagreement amongst many. However; I found these points favorable and felt like he made good arguments on each one. The Prince helped show leaders what they should do in order to be effective in their work and how to stop all the political

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