Machiavelli and Cruelty: Effective Political Leadership (Essay Sample)

Machiavelli and Cruelty
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Machiavelli and Cruelty
In The Prince, Machiavelli offers what he considers to be the best advice for effective political leadership. The controversial guide of Machiavelli has been argued to be a modern philosophical perspective in which effective truth is viewed as more essential than abstract idealism. Machiavelli’s work is often used to criticize leaders who are thought of not holding democratic principles. In chapter seventeen of his work, Machiavelli differentiates between mercy and cruelty and advises when leaders should apply the two attributes of leadership on their subjects (Machiavelli, 1995). In the current paper, Machiavelli’s work will be analyzed regarding his view on cruelty.
Machiavelli points out that it is vital for subjects to perceive their leaders as merciful but advises against the misuse of mercy. In this regard, he offers insight that leaders should be both merciful and cruel if they are to succeed in administering over their subjects. Machiavelli cites Cesare Borgia who used cruelty to restore peace in Ramagna. Consequently, Machiavelli urges leaders not to avoid being cruel if by being so a majority of the subjects will enjoy better governance (Machiavelli, 1995). Further, he advises that leaders should not avoid cruelty if it is the only means that peace and stability could be restored
Additionally, Machiavelli asserts that it is important for leaders to be loved and feared in equal measure (Machiavelli, 1995). However, if this is not possible, he advises that it is better for a leader to be feared than to be loved by his subjects. In essence, by urging leaders to be feared, Machiavelli advocates for them to be cruel. From his point of view, cruelty is a virtue necessary for effective leadership. In this context, Machiavelli believes that leaders who are cruel will be more respected than leaders who are just loved. Therefore, he regards cruelty as a better attribute than love when it comes to effective leadership.
In his book, Machiavelli also advances the idea of the end justifies the means (Machiavelli, 1995). Effectively, he subscribes to the notion that whatever goal that a leader has to attain must be realized regardless of the applied means. In most cases, this Machiavellian idea is translated to justify the use of cruelty, trickery and other undiplomatic means to attain leadership ambitions and governance aims. Indeed, most autocratic regimes all over...