ipl-logo

Leadership In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

895 Words4 Pages

Machiavelli wrote the Prince as a gift for Lorenzo de’ Medici in 1513. The Prince was written as an attempt to get Lorenzo to hire him. Machiavelli was looking to bring himself back into the good graces of the leadership after having been exiled. The Prince is Machiavelli’s advise to Lorenzo based off observations he made while working as a Fluorine diplomat and examples from history. Throughout The Prince Machiavelli lays out his guidelines for effective leadership using human nature to justify his beliefs as to what an effective leader should look like. In the Prince Machiavelli lays out his belief for the general characteristics of humanity on page 46, where he writes, “For it is a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, …show more content…

He writes on page 10, “It is perfectly natural and ordinary that men should want to acquire things; and always when men do what they can, they will be praised or not blamed” (10). Here Machiavelli is discussing the leader’s desire to expand the influence of his rule and therefore increase his power. Machiavelli then uses his observations on human nature to come to the conclusion that the leader who follows his inner desire is acting in a praise worthy manor, simply by following the inner desires harbored by mankind. By extension Machiavelli is making the argument here that the nature of mankind is to allow the leader to do as he sees fit. I have never known a people to let a leader come in and take them over simply because human nature leads mankind to desire power. If that were the case many of the wars that have been fought both recently and throughout history would never have occurred, Vietnam and Korea are modern examples. In both examples one side was trying to take over the other and convert the other to their form of government. Machiavelli’s principles would say that the people would have been content to be taken over because leaders crave more power. The reality in both of these conflicts, however is that the other side did not want to be taken over by and fought to maintain the ruling of the current

Show More
Related

  • Age Of Absolutism Dbq

    733 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1513, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote “The Prince,” telling rulers how they should rule. (Document 1) Many of the ideas in his book are shown in the ways these rulers governed their people. King Louis XIV believed if there were multiple people had power more would take advantage of it (Document 3) which is a major idea from “The Prince,” stating “for love is held by a bond of obligation, which, as men are wicked, is broken whenever personal advantage suggests it.” (Document 1).

    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

  • Hatred In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

    654 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Prince (1532), Machiavelli lists elements a prince should have. The biggest thing Machiavelli cautions against is breeding hatred. He claims that “[…] a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others; he must endeavor only to avoid hatred” (Machiavelli 82). Hatred will lead to loss of control. If the civilians hate the prince, then they have control over him.

    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

  • 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

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

    762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Machiavelli argues the perfect prince will be both feared and loved by his people, and if unable to be both he will make himself feared and not hated. Machiavelli believes it is much safer to be feared than to be loved because people are less likely to offend and stand up against strong characters, also people are less concerned in offending a prince who has made himself loved. Accordingly, Machiavelli believes generosity is harmful to your reputation and the choice between being generous or stingy, merciful or cruel, honest or deceitful, should only be important if it aids the prince in political power. All in all, Machiavelli believes the ruler must be a great deceiver and do what is essential to uphold power over the

    Read More

  • Machiavelli The Prince Rhetorical Devices

    674 Words  | 3 Pages

    Machiavelli begins by crafting an analogy, which serves to expound on his sentiment that a ruler must know how to govern both beast and man, and in governing beast a ruler must know when “to choose the fox and the lion” (Machiavelli ch.18). Machiavelli details how it is necessary for a ruler to have traits of both the lion and the fox, as the fox “knows how to recognize traps, and the lion [knows how] to aw the wolves” (Machiavelli ch.18). The analogy compounds on the necessity of a well-rounded ruler and serves to exemplify the core philosophy that Machiavelli is suggesting – that it is necessary for a ruler to know how best to deal with a situation at

    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

  • Age Of Absolutism Dbq Essay

    930 Words  | 4 Pages

    Machiavelli wrote about a fictitious prince, describing how he is a terrible being who has no respect for people who have a lower status than him. He is described as being selfish and untrustworthy. His writing about this prince was supposed to replicate princes and kings that were ruling and open he reader’s eyes to real issues occuring. In Document 1 there is an excerpt from The Prince, written by Machiavelli, telling about how terrible the Prince of England. Document 1 states, “For all men in general this observation may be made: they are ungrateful, fickle, and deceitful, eager to avoid dangers, and avid for gain, and while you are useful to them they are all with you, but when it [danger] approaches they turn on you”.

    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

  • Erasmus Vs Machiavelli

    1034 Words  | 5 Pages

    Machiavelli believed that men will follow a ruler as long as the ruler serves their interests, and a quick to turn against the ruler unless they fear great punishment. Machiavelli would say that it is best to be feared rather than loved as long as the fear does not cause hate, which he believed to be perfectly possible.

    Read More

  • Plato Vs Machiavelli

    429 Words  | 2 Pages

    He believes anyone can rule a polis if they have virtu. Once a ruler, a simple rule to follow to maintain power and not to be hated by the people, is to “not take away a man’s possession or woman”, Machiavelli believes the people will not feel threaten by following this rule, thus maintaining a stable polis. He expresses how “human nature never changes”, and that people are self-interested and they can turn against you once you are not profiting them. A good ruler must have the strength to do whatever it takes to obtain and maintain power, which essentially means that even if they have to hurt some of the people for the benefit of the popular mass, then they shall do so for the greater cause. Both Plato and Machiavelli believe that there must be a government in order for human kind to survive.

    Read More

  • The Good And Bad Characteristics Of Machiavelli As A Prince

    823 Words  | 4 Pages

    Being a prince is not as easy as it may seem. There are good and bad decisions a prince can make. Machiavelli has his own standards on how a prince should behave. According to Machiavelli, a prince could be considered a lion, a fox, or a wolf. The lion is fierce but doesn’t have the smarts, while a fox has the smarts but isn 't fierce.

    Read More

  • Machiavelli: The Characteristics Of Being A Good Prince

    1526 Words  | 7 Pages

    This is a work that still influences us today and is still relevant in today’s complex society. Some of the most prominent leaders of the 20th century have been influenced by Machiavellian ideas. U.S Presidents like Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton and U.K Prime Minister Anthony Blair are called Machiavellian leaders today. According to Machiavelli a prince must focus all his serious time and energy to war and how to wage it (Machiavelli, 31).

    Read More

More about Leadership In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

Open Document