Machiavellian Principles on Leadership and Governance (Essay Sample)

Machiavellian Principles on Leadership and Governance Name: Course: Date of submission: Machiavellian Principles on Leadership and Governance From The Prince Ideas that diverge from the "truth" can easily be interpreted as destructive and corrupt. There have been numerous theories about the philosophy of politics, but none like that of Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. Plato and Aristotle developed ideas that encouraged structure and nobility within a republic but this ideology is not realistic in the world of politics (Nederman & Gómez, 2002, pg. 92). Machiavelli in the early part of the 16th century wanted to refine the predominately idealistic ideas of the philosophers before him. At the time The Prince was finally published, it was considered - by 16th century standards - to be "evil”, but today Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideas has been widely accepted in the sphere of political science studies. The Prince is an advisory of how one should keep and expand their power; an instruction manual combined with historical events that help establish a dichotomy between idealism and realism (Anton, 2009, pg. 33). Disenchanted by the nature of the human condition, he challenges the myth that we live in an idealistic world. His thesis is an assault on the on virtues as espoused in today’s society and within the structure of family and politics. His cynicism evolved from a time when the unification of five major states of Italy: Venice, Milan, Florence, the Papal States, and Naples, had been compromised by the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Lorenzo’s successor was ostracized from the former Florentine Republic when the French army invaded parts of Italy (Barnet & Bedau, 2011, pg. 869). Machiavelli a native of Florence was a highly esteemed officer and was exiled when Italy lost its independence (Barnett, 2006, para. 4). In despair at the state of Italy’s regime, Machiavelli wrote The Prince in hopes of restoring Italy and gaining his position back. Machiavelli’s first dispute with traditional thought is the virtue of generosity. Although generosity is usually regarded as admirable, Machiavelli encourages a prince to defer from a reputation of being generous so as to maintain a state’s economy. For a head-of-state to be prepared for an unanticipated expenditure, as in war, he must forgo from being an excessive giver and adopt a conservative approach to his endeavors. Machiavelli’s thought process with regards to expenses and the weaknesses of charity probably stemmed from the fact the king of France was able to invade Italy not because he was bankrupt but because he had the financial resources to wage such a war. Being over-generous might result in the emptying of the state’s coffers and the unpleasant extortion of finances from the citizenry – a foolish endeavor according to Machiavelli if ones original purpose was to be generous. A leader would be considered generous if he/she is in fact prepared for misfortune. Taking money from people for a war he wasn’t prepared to fight, will result in the loss of their obedience, and a monarch who steals from his people will loose his honor. You could apply this idea to the family where as a child if one missed out on the novelties or luxuries friends’ received because parents wanted to save money for education – the hope is that there would be an appreciation of the sacrifice for the "greater good.” Cesare Borgia – widely considered an abomination of cruelty - was able exert his control over what is considered Romagna, Italy. Machiavelli compares this to the Florentines who because of their "merciful approach" opposed his idea of interfering in a conflict between two leading families of Pistoia that ultimately resulted in a civil war. (Machiavelli, 1532, pg. 871). The pacifist approach adopted by Florence ironically resulted in conflict and this may have been avoided had a more forceful and authoritarian strategy been used – along the lines that may have emanated from Borgia. Again you could apply this to a family dynamic in which a parent who is merciful instead of being an authoritative figure can lead to a lack of structure that is detrimental to a child’s development and behavior (Dewar, 2013). A leader therefore must develop standards for the behavior of his subjects and his citizens, because like the people of Pistoia, without it, it can lead to chaos. With regards to regard and fear for a leader an interesting quote from The Prince is, "from this arises an argument: whether it is better to be loved than to be feared, or the contrary. I reply that one should like to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking”(Machiavelli, 1532, pg. 871). A ruler should assess how important fear is as opposed to love because with love you have to reciprocate and in certain circumstances you can’t always do that whereas fear manipulates individual’s into obedience. But there is a thin line between fear and hate. A man is quick to forget the loss of a father, and slow to forget the loss of his property (Machiavelli, 1532, pg. 873). An example of when the fear turns to hate - that Machiavelli says one must absolutely refrain from doing - is if one were to seize a subject’s property. His understanding is that men do not live the way they imagine they do – through virtue and honor of ones family – but in fact they are more worried about material possessions. In essence, if one wants to keep the unity of state it is Machiavelli’s position that it is only through fear that one is able to enforce compliance and obedience. Politics is like warfare it requires a leader to be adaptable and thoughtful, playing the game like chess. Who gets the power, when, why, and how is what matters. Machiavelli believes that it is better to appear virtuous than to be virtuous; in life there are circumstances where what is considered "a vice" may help you in the long run. Machiavelli contrasts the effectiveness of Hannibal and the failures of Scipio. He applauds Hannibal for his virility and strength and his reputation for an army made up of a variety of men obedient to his authority and command. Scipio who was known for his sensitivity to his citizens - in Machiavelli’s opinion - was doomed to fail as a result and the only reason this did not materialize was because the Roman Empire was under the control of the senate (Machiavelli, 1532, pg. 873). To be effective a prince must learn to be ruthless, a virtue that would enable unity and the establishment of political power in a country. Another point Machiavelli tries to point out is that the world is "vicious" people are "deceptive" and that personal morality needed to be divided from political endeavors. Machiavelli stated, "It is therefore necessary to be a fox in order to recognize traps and a lion in order to frighten wolves" (pg. 875), in other words, the fox is intelligent and agile to avoid traps, the lion is strong and courageous, a complementary relationship for that of a wise prince. A leader had to learn to be pragmatic and not be addicted to the idea of governing in a virtuous and tolerant manner. Machiavelli correctly diagnosed the frailty of Italy and prescribed an urgent infusion of political power and practical logic. He offered how to maintain and strengthen political power by providing convincing evidence that behavior in the form of generosity, mercifulness, and honesty can be misused and lead a ruler to his demise. Machiavelli replaced a favored altruistic façade with a pure uncompromising strategy. His dim view of humanity developed a new philosophy of politics; he conceived of politics in terms of a concentration of power and political leadership. If you look at history it is not enough to just be what’s considered "good”, his was a means to survive through ruthlessness, efficiency and...