Machiavelli the Prince (Essay Sample)

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Machiavelli the Prince
Machiavelli’s theory of effective political leadership was inspired by the Borgia family and its constant ability to maintain power and accumulate wealth even in politically tumultuous and disillusioned times. His ideal “prince” or political leader is based on Cesare Borgia’s life and policies. The Machiavellian style of leadership has often been labeled as immoral and has often been associated with the type of leadership that promotes success and convenience ahead of principle. Machiavelli’s practical approach towards leadership centered on the attributes of the ideal leader in terms of character, personality and general conduct. According to his treatise, idealistic notions of honor, virtue and any sense of private morality only served to disadvantage a leader in practical real world situations.
Machiavelli’s attitude towards ethics and morality formed the basis and provided the most controversy about his political ideology. His advice to leaders to refrain from good in certain cases in order to ensure political survival earned his ideology notoriety and respect in equal measures. Machiavelli observed that although private morality was virtuous on its own, the praise and blame by the populace was what counted in the public realm. This necessitated a leader to prescribe to acts which were not necessarily virtuous to acquire and preserve power in society. Machiavelli further proposed that the ruler should seek to portray a good reputation in public while actually pursuing and instigating necessary evils in private through a combination of controlled violence, cunning and fear of subjects. Machiavelli’s style of leadership set a precedent for cold and calculated leadership throughout the centuries.
Machiavelli had a somewhat limited view on human nature and passions which he considered static and unchanging in nature throughout the ages. He believed that these said human passions moved the general populace regardless of time and place. According to him, a cunning leader could use and manipulate these passions to further personal ambitions. He proposed that nationalistic ideals embraced by the populace could be used to obtain authority, legitimacy and encourage respect for the government. Machiavelli’s emphasis on favorable ends justified by immoral means meant that his political ideology was centered on seeking worldly gain in favor of personal virtue. Many of his ideals were adopted by despots who sought to control their countries with iron fists.
Across the centuries, various leaders have cautiously embraced the three main ideals of Machiavellian leadership namely, strong nationalism, military force as a path to power and the necessary moral sacrifices to stay in power. Various contemporary dictators such as Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Manuel Noriega of panama utilized Machiavellian tools of leadership such as authoritarianism, nationalism and militarism to exercise complete control over their countries. These leaders tried to embrace the dual balance of the ‘fox” and the ‘lion’ approach characteristic of Machiavellian id...