Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence in the summer of 1469. It was from the rural Tuscan setting which Machiavelli called home that he began to underpin his political philosophy. 350 years after his death, his works would still be considered synonymous with evil'. This essay will specifically focus on two particular evils'; the attainment of power and the substantiation of power. I will particularly focus on perhaps his most critically acclaimed work, The Prince. I will thus split this essay into the two parts mentioned above.

Perhaps the most ironic part of Machiavelli's achievements was the author's ability to detach himself from the models he portrays in his literary works. The author is often damming on the innate state of human nature, yet is not a misanthrope; far from it. Machiavelli considers all humans to be different, of rich diversity and very complex in their thoughts. From this philosophical underpinning, we can begin to unravel the genius that is Niccolo Machiavelli.

Firstly, let us discuss how a Prince is able to gain power. Machiavelli suggests that such a feat is made possible by one of two tings; Fortune and virtue. Virtue, roughly translated as a great desire to achieve one's goals will make all possible. The only Fortune required (which we can now very roughly translate as luck) is the opportunity to challenge for power. Machiavelli cites Hiero of Syracuse's rise to power; forging new alliances as to construct fresh political realities on which he could mould and execute his private desires. As Machiavelli states in The Prince, Hiero's only Fortune was opportunity, He had so much virtue while still a private citizen that someone who wrote about him said'that he lacked nothing to reign but a kingdom'". (Machiavelli, 1532 (2005), 23). Virtue is sometimes not a necessary leadership quality, however if a leader acquires power by Fortune alone, he will encounter difficulties when he reaches the top, even though that ride to power is relatively smooth as compared to a Prince who acquires power by virtue alone. Therefore Machiavelli suggests that, in order to gain ultimate political power, candidates must possess qualities of both.

One option for any would-be Prince is to use both virtue and Fortune by using violence as an instrumental tool by which to reach the intrinsic goal. If discussing theories of leadership, history clearly tells us that military Juntas, insurgents and revolutionaries fighting all sorts of causes, from tribal wars to communism to Islam, have all used said tools' to gain power. This tells us the importance of Machiavelli's literature, and also of his ongoing legacy in the field of politics and conflict study. This can be a very effective tool for a Prince to gain power. Machiavelli goes even further than this, describing exactly how force should be used, "When seizing a state, the conqueror should consider all the injuries he must inflict, and inflict them all at once, so that he doesn't have to repeat them day after day". (Strathern, 1998, 28). Essentially, in The Prince, Machiavelli had developed his own Anarchist Cookbook' for any Prince in-waiting.

Let us now focus on the principalities concerning the second part of my analysis. Machiavelli does not pretend that the job of the Prince sustaining power at the helm is an easy thing. Much like a candidate for power will do well to use a combination of resources (Fortune and virtue), Machiavelli suggests that a similar theme must be kept once in power. "A Prince must know how to make good use of the natures of both man and beast". (Machiavelli, 1531 (2005), 60. Here, Machiavelli suggests that a Prince must be able to manipulate these two sides of human nature if he is to be successful. A successful Prince must be compassionate. This will win you popularity and votes. A successful Prince must be cruel. This will ensure that your power is not held in the arms of your enemies. "When the time comes for bold action, the statesman must not shrink from it; even if it requires him to break his word, to be cruel and violent". (Germino, 1972, 22).

Many Princes have fallen because they lack one of these two qualities. Because not all beings have these two qualities, Princes arise amongst civilians. However, rising alone is not enough; a Prince must sustain power once at the top. If this is to become real, "each Prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel; nevertheless, he must take care to not use such mercy badly". (Machiavelli, 1532 (2005), 57). Here, Machiavelli suggests the Prince must keep his subjects loyal by reinforcing a compassion about his qualities whilst remaining strong. Therefore, the Prince's subjects will trust him, thus staying loyal to him. Yet loyalty, as is the case with the state of human nature, is simply not enough. Machiavelli, whilst acknowledging that humans

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