BOOK: The Prince - Nicolo Machiavelli

The Prince - Download link below -
By Nicolo Machiavelli
Published 1532

One of the main questions discussed in the book “is it better for a Prince to be loved or feared?” Machiavelli’s short answer is that it would be preferable to be loved and feared; however the two simply can’t exist together. As a result, he says that it would be best to be feared and not loved.

To Machiavelli, The Prince was certainly a failure because it did not result in the praise and respect he expected from the ruling class. The book was promptly confiscated. The Medicis did not acknowledge his intellectual discourse nor did they grant him political favours. Furthermore, his book was not published until five years after his death and Italy did not unite for another 350 years. This does not, however, minimize the impact of his thesis. Since publication, ruthless political leaders, such as Hitler and Stalin, have cited the text to justify the most heinous conduct. Many have described President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq as “Machiavellian.” And, in many contemporary business and social circles, Machiavelli stands for the principle that winning is all that matters, however that is achieved. A Machiavellian is someone who is cunning, devious, unethical, deceiving, dishonest … the list goes on. Machiavelli himself may not have been stereotypically “Machiavellian” but his thesis has gained popular support among those who seek power at any expense.
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