CHAPTER 2REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This study determines the perspectives of the UP first year political science
students on the effectiveness of the Machiavellian philosophy on Marcos Regime. This
study will evaluate the awareness and degree of application of the Machiavellian form of
leadership on Ferdinand Marcos leadership. In this chapter, studies that are related to
the researchers’ study are presented to support and help the researchers gather and
interpret data./Acc.Ranney’s Governing (p.35) a leader is best defined by the status of
his subjects or constituents. A good leader can assure the satisfaction of the people
involved. On the other hand, a bad leader could cause the failure of downfall of a nation.
It all depends on the qualities of the leader leading a nation or group. All leaders employ
different styles, tactics and personalities./Based on Machiavelli’s The Prince (p.12),
“The end justifies the means”. This idea states that a leader may do anything in order to
maintain or improve the welfare of a state. Nowadays, many adhere to this believing
that this path is the best one to take. A dictator like Adolf Hitler of Germany was proof of
an application of Machiavelli’s idea. The World War II was the effect of this dictator’s
idea of expansion for Germany. Hitler believed that Germany was strong enough to be
one of the most powerful countries in the world. Cruelty and ruthlessness were
frequently shown against those who opposed Hitler’s campaign. This act definitely
expresses Machiavelli’s famous words. Another famous person who had the same
concept of leadership was Benito Mussolini. This dictator was famous because of his
tyranny and cruelty in Italy. This means that many had suffered and became miserable
under his rule. Many leaders instill Machiavelli’s idea in leadership./Another dictator who
drastically changed the shape of a nation was Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines.
Marcos was born on September 11, 1917 and was seated on December 30, 1965 as
the 10th president of the Philippines. Marcos was famous for building great
infrastructures in the country. Under his rule, the Philippines grew economically and
prospered (Spence, 1979, p. 23). He was known for declaring Martial Law on the
Philippines from 1972 until 1981 after serving for two terms as President.For nine years
many people suffered and tried to resist Marcos’s growing reign of brutality and terror
(De Quiros, 1997, p. 56). During all those years of Martial Law, Ferdinand Marcos and
his wife lived a prosperous life. Rodriguez (1985) said that the Marcos family lived
happily like royalty while the nation suffered (p. 97). With Marcos’s tyrannycame strict
laws and rules regarding society. These laws prohibited and restricted some social
gatherings and meetings. Policy of curfew was implemented all throughout the country.
From time to time many tried to rebel and fight the tyranny, Marcos’s men rooted these
people out and subjected them to torture. Finally a man name Benigno Aquino stepped
up and rose against his rule. A senator at that time, he was one of the leaders of the
opposition along with some other men. Aquino wanted the Filipino people to be free
from their dictator’s strong grasp. President Marcos then ordered the arrest of the
leaders of the opposition albeit failed in the attempt. Then Ninoy Aquino was
assassinated and the resistance strengthened even more. Aquino’s death enabled the
citizens to work together and fight back. Led by Ninoy’s wife, Corazon Aquino, the
Filipino people held a revolution that finally removed Ferdinand Marcos’s rule as the
President of the Philippines and thus ended his dictatorship and Martial Law/Ferdinand
Marcos believed in Niccolo Machiavelli’s concept of leadership and the maintenance of
power as manifested through his kind of leadership and the policies and programs he
initiated(how) The idea that the end justifies the means can clearly be seen during
Marcos’s regime. Marcos wanted a prosperous nation. Marcos said, “This nation can be
great again. This I have said over and over. It is my articles of faith, and Divine
Providence has willed that you and I can now translate this faith into deeds”Spence
(1979) during his SONA. But for him, in order to achieve it, certain rules of morality had
to be broken and trod upon. Indeed many had suffered for many years due to his
ruthless and cruel ways, but all was done for the nation according to Marcos. Ferdinand
Marcos considered his regime to be the new society. He believed that his rule would
improve the Philippines’s state and empower the country more, be it economically or
politically. Somewhat like the German dictator, Adolf Hitler, Marcos instilled fear into the
hearts of the citizens hoping to achieve a better country for the Filipinos./Some consider
Marcos to be a great man and leader. According to Mcdougald (1987), Ferdinand
Marcos was oneofthePresidents who were almost able to boost the Philippines to its
highest potential (p. 45)Marcos’s ideals for the nation were indeed great, but his means
of achieving them were tainted with impossibilty. Indeed Niccolo Machiavelli’s idea
influenced this president greatly.Marcos’s cruel and strict means were his guide towards
achieving a prosperous and peaceful society. Indeed Marcos’s ways led to a more
peaceful society, but through the revolution itself (Spence, 1979, p. 67).Also, Marcos
was able to establish better relations with other countries and improved trade of
resources among neighboring nations. Economy was greatly boosted in the Philippines
for some time/But towards the end of Marcos’s regime, the state of the nation plunged
down again. The nation was in the state of utmost revolution against Ferdinand
Marcos’s rule. The famous EDSA Revolution finally exiled President Ferdinand Marcos
and elected Corazon Aquino as the succeeding president of the Philippines./ “Ferdinand
Marcos was both a great man and a tyrant” (McDougald,1 987). He both helped rise
and degraded the state of the country. Though through his regime thousands of people
suffered, his dictatorship pushed the Filipino to work together and cooperate to win their
freedom. His laws enabled the Filipino People to set aside differences and work hard for
the betterment of their lives/This is the point when what the people perceive really
matters. This is somehow a Judgment Day of whether or not the people consider
Marcos’ regime as beneficial or detrimental, effective or degrading. As we hover through
different social strata, we can witness different reactions regarding this matter/There are
different kinds of people in the world and every single one of them is unique and
different. These people have different mindsets, ways of thinking, and thoughts. These
mindsets are called perceptions. According to Akins (1996), Perception is defined as
how you look at others and the world around you. Being able to select, organize and
intercept information starts the perceptual process. Perception affects the way people
communicate with others. An individual’s pattern of thinking can affect their perception
of others. Most people communicate best with people of similar cultures. Perception is
the process of understanding of sensory information(p. 2). Perceptions are based on a
number of elements that each individual possesses. What one perceives is a result of
interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of
the perceived.For instance, culture is an important aspect in determining one’s
perception on a topic. For example, a person that grew up on Christian culture would
have different perceptions on religion than a person from an Islamic culture. Another
example of an aspect is the environment or state of surroundings the person grew up in.
People who are accustomed to a poor environment would have different perspectives
compared to those with rich environments.Perceptions vary in every individual (Hinton,
1993, p. 124). Also perceptions are greatly affected by biases and prejudices. One
could perceive a person he just met as someone entirely different. The idea – “Judging
a book by its cover” can be clearly seen. For instance, a guy dressed up in all black and
wearing a hood during a dark night would arouse suspicions or thoughts depending on
what the one who sees him is thinking. A woman may get scared or would try to avoid
the person. Perceptions are ideas on a certain topic that rely on one’s beliefs and
customs. Perceptions are based on psychological elements and ideas of the person.
This makes perception a really necessary and important part of person’s
personality./ Our perceptions on the different things around us tell us what we are and
how we think (Rock, 1985, p. 45). Psychologists who are specialist in reading how
people think and feel would easily understand the logics of one’s perception on a topic.
Perception shows what kind of person we are. Ideas regarding the topic usually involve
perceptions on the matter. Our insights and opinions on something vary with others’
insights andopinions and thus put each and every single person apart. Perceptions
involve both the mind and emotions and thus are irreplaceable and essential parts of
our individuality./ In addition, a number of political philosophers had made varied
viewpoints to Machiavellian philosophy – most of which are antagonistic to
Machiavelli./Common folks usually regard Machiavellian philosophy as evil.
Machiavellian philosophy stands outside the main tradition of European political
thought. He thinks and speaks of society and government differently from the great
medieval writers, and differently, too, from the great writers of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, men like Bodin and Hobbes, Hooker and Locke. The medieval
writers were mostly concerned with problems of definition, and with deriving men’s
rights and obligations from these definitions. Machiavellian philosophy is nothing of the
kind. He cares nothing for traditional arguments because he does not put traditional
questions. Machiavellian philosophy does not, as Hobbes and the Utilitarians do, no
less than Aquinas, put these two questions: What is man? And what are his rights and
duties?Seeking in the answer to the first question a key to the answer to the second. He
offers no definitions, and never seeks to explain why, the same sense with Aquinas,
Bodin, Hobbes and Locke, politicalphilosopher. The question which to them seemed
the most important, the question of political obligation, does not interest him. He wants
to know what makes government strong, what makes freedom possible, how power is
mostly easily obtained and preserved/Yet, these philosophical judgments of Machiavelli
could not be considered as the proper way. According to Bennagen (1960), Machiavelli
was a political scientist. He was trying to support his conclusions by an appeal to the
facts. He is interested in man, not as he ought to be, but as he is. True, he is concerned
to do more than explain how governments function; he does not merely describe, he
also prescribes; he gives advice about what should be done to create or to restore
strong government. But he does not speak to men of their destiny of ends which they,
as rational creatures, are obliged to pursue. He takes it for granted that they want strong
government, and confines himself to advertising them how they can get it/Indeed, "The
Prince" is a detailed blueprint of Machiavellian philosophy that highlights the nuances of
persuasion and power, but the text of this early 16 th-century document can be
transferred into our age. Rulers decide for themselves whether it is best to be loved or
feared, and that decision can make a real difference in our lives./In our day and age,
youth participation is important in developing initiative in democracy. When lack of
confidence and apathy toward political processes is increasing worldwide, the new
generation must be educated about how to build a strong democracy. But active
citizenship cannot beexpected to happen overnight when a person reaches voting age:
it must be learned “by doing” through everyday experiences: opportunities to participate
inshareddecisionmaking, listening to different opinions, weighing options and
consequences. These are individual skills that help build civil society and young
people’scommitment to the democratic process. Encouraging young people to become
involved is even more crucial in regions where there is little or no tradition of democratic
forms of government. In such cases, it is essential to teach the young about electoral
systems and the potential of individuals to create the democratic process. Therefore,
political socialization is an important element in the overall political process (Heywood,
2002, p. 56).Political socialization involves a process by which the individual comes to
internalize or learn certain politically relevant social patterns, w/cincludescertain norms,
attitudes and behaviors, corresponding to his societal position as mediated or
transmitted to him through various agencies of the society. 1Children and the youth are
exposed to a variety of institutions and agents. Some, like civics courses in schools,
deliberately designed for this purpose. Others, like play and work groups, are likely to
affect political socialization in general. The family, school, religious institute ons, peer
groups, occupation, class, status, the mass media, the interest groups, and the political
parties. Though these institutions and agents, the children and the youth are influenced
and possess particular info&belief about their government (Parel, 1972, p. 63)/We can
categorize the agents of socialization under2 general classifications: the Human
sources, and the media sources. In the literature on political socialization, the family
looms large as one of the most prominent, if not the most important, human agentsinthe
transmission of political orientation to young children. Other human sources
wouldbeschool,teachers, friends and other people. The media sources would be
books,newspapers and magazines,radio and televise ion and maybe in cinema./Our
first political ideas were shaped within the family. Parents seldom “talk politics” with their
young children directly, but casual remarks made around the dinner table or while
helping with homework can have an impact. Family tradition is particularly a factor in
party identification as indicated by the phrases “Lifelong Republican” and “Lifelong
Democrat”(Heywood, 2002, p.120).Thefamilymay be losing its power as an agent of
socialization; however, as institutions take over more of child carez&parents perform
less of it. Next, children are introduced to elections and voting when they choose class
officers and the more sophisticated elections in high school and college teach the
rudiments of campaigning. Political facts are learned through the courses in American
history and government, we have become so accustomed to using the world science
lightly– to describe the most commonplace activities – that a newcomer to the science
of politics could easily mistake it for just another newfangled course of studies with a
pompous name. In reality, political science is one of the oldest scientific disciplines of
the Western world and one of the central concerns in the life of man and society.