The Prince
Author: Niccolò Machiavelli (1532)
Author: Niccolò Machiavelli (1532)
Think Machiavellian politics and what comes to mind are Robert Mugabe and even Dr Mahathir. Many miniseries addicts, especially of 'House of Cards' would recall the Kevin Spacey character of Senator Francis Underwood and his modus operandi which are similar to one propagated by the Master himself, Niccolò Machiavelli.
At a time when altruism and fear of God were the order of the day, Machiavelli's writing must have been a controversial one. It remains a pioneer scripture in the field called political philosophy.
What Machiavelli propagates may not appear just or 'Christian-like', but a leader to stay in power, it must be the divine. A true leader who is convinced is the best one for the nation, whether elected by force or popular demand, has to follow rules laid out by the man himself. He has to remember that he is alone. The only people that he can depend on are general citizens. He must always keep the general public contented and be on your side. He cannot trust the noblemen (in modern terms it would be fellow politicians) as they would be just waiting for an opportune time to grab power. The leader has to ensure that he controls the army and the generals as they found the backbone to safeguard his interest. For soldiers, he has to have people from his own kingdom. They would be more committed to defending the nation. Foreign mercenaries would not do as their loyalty is always suspect.
A good republican society depends on the interplay between the monarchy, the aristocracy and a populist government.
A leader must appear parsimonious, appearing thrifty to defend the coffers with burdening the people. He cannot, however, also profess goodness as it may fail in the end. In order to assure his political survival, a leader is justified to use whatever means deemed essential. A leader must be respected but fear cannot be used as a way to gain respect. Machiavelli's idea of a great leader is one with the regality of a lion and the ruthlessness of a wolf.
An interesting thing mention in the book is Machiavelli's comparison of Moses to that of a politician. He posits that Moses developed his own codes and arms to destroy his enemies.
Over the years, this book has had many critiques but, nevertheless, it remains a reading material to students of political sciences. What do you know, way back between 2BCE and 3BCE, Kautilya, wrote an even more comprehensive and refined treatise on statecraft, economics and military strategy. Kautilya was Emperor Chandragupta Maurya's teacher.
At a time when altruism and fear of God were the order of the day, Machiavelli's writing must have been a controversial one. It remains a pioneer scripture in the field called political philosophy.
What Machiavelli propagates may not appear just or 'Christian-like', but a leader to stay in power, it must be the divine. A true leader who is convinced is the best one for the nation, whether elected by force or popular demand, has to follow rules laid out by the man himself. He has to remember that he is alone. The only people that he can depend on are general citizens. He must always keep the general public contented and be on your side. He cannot trust the noblemen (in modern terms it would be fellow politicians) as they would be just waiting for an opportune time to grab power. The leader has to ensure that he controls the army and the generals as they found the backbone to safeguard his interest. For soldiers, he has to have people from his own kingdom. They would be more committed to defending the nation. Foreign mercenaries would not do as their loyalty is always suspect.
A good republican society depends on the interplay between the monarchy, the aristocracy and a populist government.
A leader must appear parsimonious, appearing thrifty to defend the coffers with burdening the people. He cannot, however, also profess goodness as it may fail in the end. In order to assure his political survival, a leader is justified to use whatever means deemed essential. A leader must be respected but fear cannot be used as a way to gain respect. Machiavelli's idea of a great leader is one with the regality of a lion and the ruthlessness of a wolf.
An interesting thing mention in the book is Machiavelli's comparison of Moses to that of a politician. He posits that Moses developed his own codes and arms to destroy his enemies.
Over the years, this book has had many critiques but, nevertheless, it remains a reading material to students of political sciences. What do you know, way back between 2BCE and 3BCE, Kautilya, wrote an even more comprehensive and refined treatise on statecraft, economics and military strategy. Kautilya was Emperor Chandragupta Maurya's teacher.
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