Amazon Nicolo Machiavelli The Complete Collection: (4 Books) The Prince, The Art of War, The Discourses on Livy, History of Florence (English-paperback)
The Prince,
which was originally titled ‘About Principalities’, features aspiring prince
considering various different political strategies in an effort to gain and
maintain political stability and so
ensure that his reign is lengthy and uninterrupted.
The term ‘Machavellian’
is fairly well known in English and other European languages in describing
people who manipulate others and circumstances for their own ends. The reason
why the word was adopted and is still used is because it conveniently
encapsulates any number of pejorative adjectives into a single term, such as
scheming, cunning, unscrupulous, amoral, duplications, deceitful, and
unethical. In short: someone who is dishonorable-a scoundrel, a cad or a
bounder. Niccolò Machiavelli, to whom the term alludes, was a political
theorist rather than novelist. He lived in Italy at the turn of the 15th and 16th
centuries during the Renaissance period. At that time Italy was not a single
nation and Machiavelli was a civil servant for those who ruled the Florentine
Republic in the northwest. This city-state was in a perpetual state of a political unrest, resulting in feuds and coups between factions of the ruling
elite.
It is a
non-fiction book which shows the analysis of how to gain and maintain political
power disregarding all moral and ethical values. It has 26 chapters about the
author’s dedicated his book to the Florentine ruler Lorenzo de’ Medici, it
describes about the model prince who must have the ability and the correct
tactics to maintain its own state and should think not only for the present
problems but also for future ones. The books emphasize the hidden agenda and
the ideas that plays inside a leader’s mind, Machiavelli draws heavily on his
own political experience to support his exceedingly realistic views on human
nature and the techniques of able rulers. Contradicting conventional morality,
Machiavelli advises wise princes to use violence and cunning to safeguard their
states. The Prince explores the careful balance between contrasts,
comparing virtue and vice, prowess and fortune, and subjects and rulers. One
should not “enjoy the benefit of time” but the benefit of one’s virtue and
prudence instead. It’s because time can bring evil as well as good.
The Prince
was virtually a step-by-step book of devious instruction for all politician. It
asserted that was no place for sincerity and honesty in politics if an
individual expected to succeed and make a name for himself. The prince
basically gave license to underhand dealing, the economy of truth, treachery and
spuriousness as part of the political game.
At the start
of the treatise, Machiavelli asks Lorenzo to accept The Prince as a token
of his devotion, stating that his "long acquaintance" with political
affairs and "continuous study of the ancient world" inform his
writing.
The first
eleven chapters of The Prince examine types of principalities, or
principates, with examples from both ancient and contemporary history, and
strategies for governing these principates.
Machiavelli
asserts that hereditary principates can only be conquered when one who wishes
to conquer lives in that principate or establishes a colony there. He speaks of
adding territory to an existing principality, advising that one must do so with
force and “extinguish the line of the prince” in that territory; by doing so, a
conqueror will prevent a counterinsurgency. He cites the Romans as best
exemplifying this strategy of conquest. He makes a distinction between
governing subjects who had previously been ruled despotically and subjects who
had some practice of self-government. Those who had previously been ruled with
absolute power will be harder to take over, but once they have been conquered,
they will be easy to govern. Those who have been used to some degree of
self-government will be harder to govern; a conqueror must “ruin” such a city,
because if he “does not destroy it, he waits to be destroyed by it.” If a
prince doesn't want to rob his people and avoid poverty, he must be a miser, or
greedy. This is what keeps a prince in power. Machiavelli always states that it
is better for a ruler to be merciful than to be cruel. A ruler must be somewhat
cruel in order to keep his subjects united and loyal, yet he must be merciful
as to not drive always his subjects. Also, Machiavelli believes that it was
better to be feared than loved. He believes it is simply safer and that the
nature of man makes it harder to overthrow a feared leader than a loved one. Never
let your people hate you. Lie, cheat, steal—just don't become hated. And make
sure you have your own army. Here Machiavelli tells his readers that “If you
have an army you conquer and unarmed ones are ruined.”
Machiavelli
praises King Agathocles of Sicily, who is said to have “virtue,” even though he
attained a position of rule through treachery and violence. Machiavelli
criticizes rulers who are the opposite of great conquerors. One who inherits a
position of political authority will often lose that political power; the same
is true for one who gains power through others’ military assistance. These
rulers may gain power easily, but this authority is also lost easily.
In chapter
12 till 25 The author’s mention Mercenaries and auxiliaries (people you pay to
fight for you) are a waste of time and dangerous, to boot. If you have a strong
army, and your people love you, no one can touch you. They won't even think about
it. On that topic, you need to run your army, so war needs to be on your mind
all day every day. You need to be on the cutting edge of war techniques and
technology. By the way, a word (or two) on fortresses: they look cool and
everything, but they can also make people resent you. They're really only
useful if you are afraid of your people. Throw parties for the people, listen
to your ministers (the smart ones) but avoid brown-noses.
The final
sections of The Prince link the book to a specific historical
context: Italy’s disunity. Machiavelli sets down his account and explanation of
the failure of past Italian rulers and concludes with an impassioned plea to
the future rulers of the nation. Machiavelli concludes by imploring Lorenzo to
use the lessons of The Prince to unify war-torn Italy and thus
reclaim the grandeur of Ancient Rome.
“Virtue
shall arm ‘gainst rage, and in short fight, Prove the Roman varlour’s not
extinguish’d quite”
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