Machiavelli the prince. The Prince: Themes 2022-10-23
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Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian political philosopher and statesman who is best known for his influential treatise "The Prince," written in 1513. The work was dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence, and was intended as a guide for rulers on how to maintain their power.
In "The Prince," Machiavelli outlines the principles that he believed were necessary for rulers to succeed in their endeavors. He argued that rulers should prioritize their own interests and the interests of the state above all else, even if this means resorting to unethical or immoral actions. He believed that the end justifies the means, and that rulers should do whatever it takes to maintain their power, including using force, deception, and manipulation.
One of the key themes of "The Prince" is the importance of realism in politics. Machiavelli argued that rulers should be guided by a realistic assessment of the political landscape, rather than by moral principles or ideals. He believed that rulers who were too idealistic or too rigid in their beliefs would ultimately fail, as they would be unable to adapt to changing circumstances.
Another key theme of "The Prince" is the idea of virtù, which can be translated as "virtue" or "excellence." According to Machiavelli, virtù is the quality that allows rulers to be successful and to achieve their goals. He argued that virtù is not the same as moral virtue, but rather it is a combination of intelligence, skill, courage, and determination. Rulers who possess virtù are able to overcome challenges and emerge victorious, while those who lack it are doomed to failure.
Machiavelli's ideas have had a profound influence on political thought and have been widely debated and discussed over the centuries. While some have praised "The Prince" for its realism and practicality, others have criticized it for its amoral approach to politics and for its emphasis on the use of force and deception. Regardless of one's opinion of Machiavelli's ideas, however, it is clear that "The Prince" has had a lasting impact on the way we think about politics and power.
61 Important The Prince Quotes: Machiavelli On Power And Politics
Was it a joke? If he could not have made Pope him whom he wished, at least the one whom he did not wish would not have been elected. Therefore such as these have great difficulties in consummating their enterprise, for all their dangers are in the ascent, yet with ability they will overcome them; but when these are overcome, and those who envied them their success are exterminated, they will begin to be respected, and they will continue afterwards powerful, secure, honoured, and happy. Machiavelli nel libro Il Principe, etc. The Prince: Second Edition. On the other hand, Cesare Borgia, commonly called Duke Valentine, acquired the state through the fortune of his father and by the same means lost it, and that although every measure was adopted by him and everything done that a prudent and capable man could do to establish himself firmly in that state that the arms and the favours of others had given him. Because, as is stated above, he who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them afterwards, but they will be laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building. In Mandragola, trickery is employed as a tool for fulfilling the desires of the characters.
OF THE THINGS FOB WHICH MEN, AND ESPECIALLY PRINCES, ARE PRAISED OR BLAMED It remains now to be seen what are the methods and rules for a prince as regards his subjects and friends. Cesare Borgia Some scholars suggest Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a way to honor the legacy of statesmen like Borgia. Francesco directed his ambition towards Lombardy; Braccio against the Church and the kingdom of Naples. Also recall that in his speech on the first Decade of Livy Machiavelli sought the reasons for the greatness of Rome, he erected a model of political success. Everybody sees what you appear to be, few feel what you are, and those few will not dare to oppose themselves to the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them; and in the actions of men, and especially of princes, from which there is no appeal, the end is everything.
But let us return to France and examine whether she did any of these things; and I will speak not of Charles, but of Louis as the one whose proceedings can be better seen, as he held possession in Italy for a longer time; you will then see that he did the opposite of all those things which must be done to keep possession of a foreign state. And that his foundations were good is seen from the fact that the Romagna waited for him more than a month; in Rome, although half dead, he remained secure, and although the Baglioni, Vitelli, and Orsini entered Rome they found no followers against him. Part of the reason is that people are naturally resistant to change and reform. I live entirely through them. Atkinson and David Sices. He does not command the loyalty of the armies and officials that maintain his authority, and these can be withdrawn from him at a whim. Alexander the Sixth, in wishing to aggrandize the duke, his son, had many immediate and prospective difficulties.
In our own times, during the reign of Alexander VI. From this depend also the changes in fortune, for if it happens that time and circumstances are favourable to one who acts with caution and prudence he will be successful, but if time and circumstances change he will be ruined, because he does not change his mode of proceeding. And above all, a prince must live with his subjects in such a way that no accident should make him change it, for good or evil; for necessity arising in adverse times, you are not in time with severity, and the good that you do does not profit you, as it is judged to be forced, and you will derive no benefit whatever from it. This is a very noticeable principle in Machiavelli, and is urged by him in many ways as a matter of vital importance to princes. But when they are not bound to you of set purpose and for ambitious ends, it is a sign that they think more of themselves than of you; and from such men the prince must guard himself and look upon them as secret enemies, who will help to ruin him when in adversity.
And these are the things which, when newly introduced, give reputation and grandeur to a new prince. The challenges they face in acquiring a principality are partly due to the new methods and rules they are required to introduce in establishing governments and ensuring their security. In general, politicians have the reputation of being power-hungry manipulators. As to the future, he feared that a new successor to the Church might not be friendly to him and might seek to deprive him of what Alexander had given him, and he sought to provide against this in four ways. The countless kingdoms are under threat of external attacks. In Rome, although but half alive, he remained secure; and whilst the Baglioni, the Vitelli, and the Orsini might come to Rome, they could not effect anything against him. THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF MILITIA AND MERCENARY SOLDIERS Having now discussed fully the qualities of these principalities of which I proposed to treat, and partially considered the causes of their prosperity or failure, and having also showed the methods by which many have sought to obtain such states, it now remains for me to treat generally of the methods of attack and defence that can be used in each of them.
I believe this arises in the first place from the causes that we have already discussed at length; that is to say, because the prince who bases himself entirely on fortune is ruined when fortune varies. The cause of this is that they have no love or other motive to keep them in the field beyond a trifling wage, which is not enough to make them ready to die for you. The Prince paints the effective tyrant as someone who pursues whatever is politically expedient, not whatever is virtuous. For it must be noted, that men must either be caressed or else annihilated; they will revenge themselves for small injuries, but cannot do so for great ones; the injury therefore that we do to a man must be such that we need not fear his vengeance. Among the kingdoms that are well ordered and governed in our time is France, and there we find numberless good institutions on which depend the liberty and security of the king; of these the chief is the parliament and its authority, because he who established that kingdom, knowing the ambition and insolence of the great nobles, and deeming it necessary to have a bit in their mouths to check them; and knowing on the other hand the hatred of the mass of the people to the great, based on fear, and wishing to secure them, did not wish to make this the special care of the king, to relieve him of the dissatisfaction that he might incur among the nobles by favouring the people, and among the people by favouring the nobles. From this it came to pass that Italy fell partly into the hands of the Church and of republics, and, the Church consisting of priests and the republic of citizens unaccustomed to arms, both commenced to enlist foreigners.
How to Become an Effective Leader According to Niccolò Machiavelli
But the valour and ability of the duke were such, and he knew so well how to win over men or vanquish them, and so strong were the foundations that he had laid in this short time, that if he had not had those two armies upon him, or else had been in good health, he would have survived every difficulty. I am not ashamed to talk to them and ask them to explain their actions and they, out of kindness, answer me. The Prince remains his best-known work, and throws down a challenge that subsequent writers on statecraft and political morality have found impossible to ignore. The Prince: Second Edition. After serving four years in one of the public offices he was appointed Chancellor and Secretary to the Second Chancery, the Ten of Liberty and Peace.
Firstly, particularly in the Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli is unusual in the positive side he sometimes seems to describe in factionalism in republics. They meet with no difficulties on the way as they fly over them, but all their difficulties arise when they are established. And the usual course of affairs is that, as soon as a powerful foreigner enters a country, all the subject states are drawn to him, moved by the hatred which they feel against the ruling power. For these reasons a prince must care little for the reputation of being a miser, if he wishes to avoid robbing his subjects, if he wishes to be able to defend himself, to not become poor and contemptible, and not to be forced to become rapacious; this vice of niggardliness is one of those vices which enable him to reign. Machiavelli In 1494, the Medici family who had long ruled Florence was ousted. He will chiefly become hated, as I said, by being rapacious, and usurping the property and women of his subjects, which he must abstain from doing, and whenever one does not attack the property or honour of the generality of men, they will live contented; and one will only have to combat the ambition of a few, who can be easily held in check in many ways.
