Currently Reading: Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince

Being called Machiavellian is not a compliment. It means you’re out to get what you want no matter what the cost in relationships, money and resources.

“Machiavellian” is a derivation from the name of Niccolo Machiavelli who wrote The Prince a realistic treatise on politics and ruling the State. Machiavelli was not writing a treatise on human relationships. What he was writing about was a manual for rulers in the tradition of Sun Tzu’s The Art Of War.

Niccolo Machiavelli described a number of situations where The Prince or the ruler will have to exercise caution and good decisions. His advices to The Prince are as relevant in his time as they are now in terms of politics in the corporation or in the State.

At first glance, Machiavelli’s approach might be considered evil because he exemplifies the maxim that “the end justifies the means.” His number one critic was the church during his time. Ironically, the church throughout the Dark Ages used his concept effectively and efficiently. Machiavelli’s book describes the process that should be followed by a ruler. What makes the rule evil is if the ruler is evil. Evil rulers such as Adolf Hitler and other fascists and dictators could readily use his principles to plunge their countries to the dark ages. But if good rulers hesitate to use the principles he describes, they might be overrun by their enemies and topple them.

If a ruler were to really be effective, he should be ruthless and implement Machiavelli’s principles if he wants to bring about peace and prosperity to the land. After all, The Prince should only employ ruthless violence at first and not use it in the long term.

Machiavelli wanted Italy during his time to attain its lost glory. That is why he counseled the Prince to be ruthless and brave in implementing such kind of political rule.

Here’s a rundown of the principles of Machiavelli as he put them in The Prince

1. The types of principalities. Michiavelli lists four types of principalities.

* Hereditary principalities, rulers who inherited their positions.
* Mixed principalities, rulers of territories annexed by other powers.
* New principalities who acquired power through their own, through extreme cruelty and criminal acts, or through the will of the people.
* Ecclesiastical principalities, which refers to the religious powers.

2. Machiavelli recommends the following behaviors for the Prince:
* It is better to be miserly than generous.
* It is better to be cruel than merciful.
* It is better to break promises if keeping than would be against ones interest.
* Princes must avoid making them hated and despised; the goodwill of the people is a better defense than any fortress.
* Princes should undertake great projects to enhance their reputation.
* Princes should choose wise advisors to confide and consult with

3. A prince must always pay close attention to military affairs if he wants to remain in power. A prince must lay good foundation and those foundations include good laws and good armies. There cannot be good laws without good armies, and where there are good laws there must be good armies. The study of war should be a prince’s main goal, for war is a rulers only art.If princes become too refined to study this art they loose their state. The types of armies are:

* Mercenaries or Auxiliaries (loaned to you by another ruler) are both dangerous and unreliable, as they will maintain their interests preceding yours.
* Native troops composed of ones own citizens or subjects are by far the most desirable kind.

4. Italy’s political situation Michiavelli outlines and recommends the following
* The rulers of Italy have lost their states by ignoring the political and military principles.
* Fortune controls half of human affairs, but free will controls the rest, leaving the prince free to act. However, the few princes can adopt their actions to times

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is the European equivalent of Sun Tzu’s
The Art Of War.

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