Although Machiavelli gained his power, not every man can, so Machiavelli is saying that in order to become an idol, you just have to project the idea of power. People with power are admired, so Machiavelli wrote a book teaching how to gain power, and become and idol themselves. This allowed Machiavelli to “create a stir” and “shock the Western world” (ABC Clio), and become the idol that we know him as today. Machiavelli was the turning point where men started to value power, seeking to find Machiavelli in
According to Machiavelli, “One morning he assembled the people and senate of Syracuse, as if he had to discuss with them things relating to the Republic, and at a given signal the soldiers killed all the senators and the richest of the people; these dead, he seized and held the princedom of that city without any civil commotion” (Machiavelli, 1515, p. 38). In other words, this shows that intelligence and skill are important to be a leader; however, it is not necessary to be cruel just because fortune was not the reason why the person became a prince. My idea is that if a prince is intelligence he will not rush during difficult times, and he will decide what to do for his state and citizens carefully. In addition, the skills that he has will help him with the army during wars. Therefore, he will be able to end up the disorder that surrounded his
Machiavelli, in his medieval philosophy and political thought from the prince, departs from the ‘approaches of others’, with the cynical doctrine ‘the ends justifies the means’, viewing power politics through successful princely behaviour, with scheming, shrewd, manipulative, and egotistical, private profit-cantered genre of leadership practices. This is contrasted with Salisbury’s moral and political philosophy in the ‘Policraticus’, which adopts the Ciceronian moderate perspective to offer an unselfish and egalitarian leadership system, with its marked proclivities for sociologically democratic, classless and common good philosophies. Machiavelli, in his Politics, claims that deceits and hypocrisy, are legitimate approaches in politics, hitherto he does not overlook ill-advised uses of them. Therefore, a prince should embrace good virtues and qualities such as “merciful, faithful, humane, sincere, religious” (Machiavelli, 1988); just appear to have them. Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of having the qualities of both the fox and the lion in order to rule as best as possible, “One needs, then, to be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten away wolves” (Machiavelli, 1988).
To back up his claim that a prince must study war, he references the ways that the Romans handled war. He says “Thus, the Romans, seeing inconveniences from afar, always found remedies for them and never allowed them to continue so as to escape a war, because they knew that war may not be avoided but is deferred to the advantage of others”. Machiavelli is claiming that postponing a war will only tip the odds in the favor of their opponent, which is one of the reasons that he is ruthless when it comes to war and believes in violence when it is necessary to stay in power. He goes on to say that in this instance, the Romans went on to start a war with Greece which later prevented them from engaging in a war with Italy. Critics began to question Machiavelli’s unwavering faith in the ways of the Ancient
He also believes that the world doesn 't reward those who follow rules, and that political actions should not be limited by morality: basically, humans inherently value nationalism and security which rely on moral flexibility. However, I believe Machiavelli is not a teacher of evil. Throughout the text in The Prince, Machiavelli admits that his prescription for success would not be accurate if it were not for the natural wickedness of man. He writes, “And if all men were good, this teaching would not be good; but because they are wicked and do not
When you hear the name Machiavelli what do you think of? Malevolence, dictatorship, or Tupac Shakur? What you should think about is cunning or unscrupulousness, “The ends justify the means.” The father of modern political theory, Niccolo Machiavelli was a 15th century political theorist and advisor who insisted we shouldn’t think that politicians are bad or unelectable for manipulating people. In Machiavelli’s distinct view a worthy politician isn’t honest and moral. They may be illusory and deceptive, however, they must know how to defend, enrich, and bring character to the federation.
Machiavelli upholds that fear of a ruler is essential for the successful maintenance of a political order and that a prince should actively seek to cultivate an image of fear to maintain his power. According to Machiavelli, “when the prince is with his armies and has a multitude of soldiers under his government, then it is above all necessary not to care about a name for cruelty because without this name he never holds his army united or disposed to any action" (Machiavelli 67). Machiavelli promotes rulers practicing cruelty because it inspires fear in a ruler. Essentially, This fear makes his subjects easier to control because they fear the retribution the ruler may bring down upon them for disobeying one of his laws or
It is better to be punishing than kind. Machiavelli explains that cruelty can be well-thought-out if taken in one stab, the wicked deeds executed all at once, made essential for survival. Machiavelli argues, “We may add this note that when a prince takes a new state, he should calculate the sum of all the injuries he will have to do, and do them all at once, so as not to have to do new ones every day; simply by not repeating them, he will then be able to reassure people, and win them over to his side with benefits.” It is better to not make preserving them would be against one 's benefits. Leaders must avoid making themselves loathed and looked down on; the kindness of the people is a better protection than any stronghold. A leader’s job should be involved so that his reputation is boosted.
According to Machiavelli rulers were of the thought that expansion of power was an important criterion to wage war. He had a broad perspective towards war. A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, then war and its rules and discipline for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. Machiavelli says a ruler should wage war always to expand its power and whoever thought more of peace they would lose their state. The reason of losing is to neglect the art and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art.
In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses that a prince should be generous, feared, and always keep his word. The statements mentioned by Machiavelli are words of advice for the prince to be as successful as possible during his time ruling. Although I myself am not a prince, I can analyze these statements using my own morals, which align with Machiavelli's point of view. When needed, the prince must take action to procure money, which could be done through raising tax prices excessively. According to Machiavelli, “This will begin to make him hateful to his subjects and, if he becomes impoverished, he will be held in low regard by everyone” (55).