Machiavelli's__The_Prince_

Nicolo Machiavelli was born at Florence on 3rd May 1469. He was the second son of Bernardo di Nicolo Machiavelli, a lawyer of some repute, and of Bartolommea di Stefano Nelli, his wife. Both parents were members of the old Florentine nobility. In his life, Machiavelli saw both the greatness of Italy under King Lorenzo de Medici and instability after his fall. It was in that year, 1494 that Machiavelli began his career in public service. He went on several diplomatic missions to France, Germany, Spain, and even the Holy Roman Empire. He also commanded the Florentine militia, which included the City’s defense. When the Medici family overthrew the republic and regained power in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his offices and accused of treason. In spite of torture, he denied any involvement in conspiracy and was released to his home. He would never again hold political office again, but because politics was his passion, he chose to study and write thoroughly on the subject of politics. His most famous book concerning politics is called The Prince. In The Prince, Machiavelli writes several basic and complex principles of acquiring and maintaining political power, specifically in the realm of monarchial principalities. He gave several examples of kings throughout history, examined them closely, and explained in which aspects they were successful and in which ways they were not as successful. He uses people such as Kings Solomon, Darius, and Alexander to exemplify merits of good monarchial leadership. He emphasizes the need of realism over idealism. His political philosophy was that no government should be modeled after Utopia because human nature is selfish and corrupt, rendering utopianism unreachable. Instead, Machiavelli entertains the idea of mixing both idealism and realism, though he leans more towards realism. In this manual of principal leadership, Machiavelli addresses several conflicting maxims of leadership: “Is it better to be loved or feared by the people'”, “Should a king be known for generosity or frugality'”, and “How can a king avoid hatred and scorn'” In addressing the question of whether one should be loved or feared by the people, Machiavelli says that it is in one’s best interests to become both. Although, if one cannot be both loved and feared, it is safer to be feared. He explains that commitments made in peace and love are not always kept in times of adversity, but a commitment made in fear is more likely to be kept out of fear. However, one should not overly instill fear in people, as that may lead to resentment and hatred towards himself. In regards to troops, Machiavelli deems it a necessity to instill fear in order to keep a large number of troops united. It is necessary, according to Machiavelli, to observe cruelty, so as to command the respect of his soldiers. In regards to whether a king should be known for frugality or generosity, Machiavelli chooses frugality. He reasons that if a king is overly generous, he will not be appreciated by his subjects, and that it will only cause them to want more. It is not economically responsible because it depletes necessary resources, which result in taxes, which result in a decline in popularity. If he decides to discontinue his generosity once it has been established, he will immediately be regarded as a money-grubbing selfish miser. Machiavelli summarizes that it is more important to protect oneself from the people’s scorn than it is to be thought of as generous.