THE PRACTICAL POLITICIAN

1. Who was Niccolo Machiavelli? What is his political background and experience? Does his political experience reflect his ideals and principles written in his book? Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian man born in the 15th century who wanted to see the unification of a politically weakened Italy. During his time he was a diplomat, humanist, student of ancient Rome and also an author. The extent of his political experience is that of a diplomat who represented the republic government in Italy until it was taken over by the Medici family in 1512. This is very important when considering the content in his book, The Prince. This is because this book largely consists of critiquing the actions of princes and advising them of what to do and what not to do, when he himself has never held a position of supreme ruling. Anyone can be a critic and criticizing someone is extremely easy when you have never been in their position and have not had to feel the pressures of making tough decisions in desperate times or live up to a name. Therefore I feel that his ideals and principles written in the book do not completely reflect his political experience. However, I feel that other experiences in his life have contributed in doing so. Machiavelli was a student of ancient Roman history and respected the way in which Romans had governed their people. The Romans had acted with a combination of decisiveness and patriotism for the greater good of Rome. This is reflected in his book because he feels that leaders should act by any means necessary in order to accomplish their goals and retain their power.

2. What similarities do you see between the political ideas put forth by Machiavelli and modern political thought? The most obvious similarity that I found between Machiavelli and modern political thought stems from his belief that it is better to be feared than loved due to his distrust in the common people. He describes men as cowardly, ungrateful, and covetous. He therefore feels that rulers have no need to incorporate the common people into the political system because of their flaws and that the ruler should exercise complete power over the commoners. Similar events occur in now in our times as well. Political decision making is not in the hands of the individual citizens of the United States, it is in the hands of the government. These wealthy and primarily Ivy- League graduate government officials, senators, and representatives claim to be representing the interests of the American people. However, in terms of Machiavellian politics, these men are dictating aspects of our everyday lives because we as citizens are barbaric and inferior to them, causing us to be unable to make correct decisions for ourselves.

3. Would you say that Machiavellis policies are moral or immoral? Explain your answer. I feel that overall Machiavellis policies are immoral, however he does provide some intriguing thoughts. This brings me to his views on being loved or being feared. I do not agree that being feared is the correct way to rule. One his is loved has the genuine respect of their people, not a fake allegiance from those who fear them. However, this can be compared to the presidency of John F. Kennedy. He was a man who truly had the respect and love of the American people. His assassination devastated an entire nation and its people. This brings into the question the success of being loved as a leader. No matter what their will be people in this world who are against those in power which ties into Machiavelli constantly assuming the worst of human nature. This distrust that Machiavelli has of the general populace causes him to say that rulers do not have to keep their word because men do not either. I feel that this view is also immoral because I would never want to be led by one who lies and is deceitful. Once such actions are allowed by rulers they can eventually become a normalcy leading to a very corrupt group of government officials which will not benefit the interests of the common people.

4. Do you think Machiavelli put more emphasis on the end result, or the manner in which the end is reached? Explain. Machiavelli makes it very clear throughout the excerpt from his book that the end result is most important. As stated in the textbook, he felt that the ends justified any means. This is seen when he speaks of how a prince is not bound to his word and that a prince should be able to commit acts of evil by going against faith, charity, humanity and religion. Machiavelli feels that it is the rulers responsibility to do whatever it takes, regardless of the morality of the actions, to retain power and order.

5. List several leaders throughout history who have used methods described in The Prince and give examples of how they implemented Machiavellian beliefs. The ideas that are presented in The Prince are almost all ideals that would appeal to the tastes of dictators who are seeking to gain power through actions that undermine and put at risk the people whom they rule. Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini are all past rulers who used any means necessary to keep their people

under control and conquer new territories with force while exterminating helpless people for their own gain. They acted for what they thought was good for the power of their country which was usually not what was best for the people. They did not keep their word and could easily lie and commit acts of evil without a second thought. A prime example of the mindset of such men is seen from Napoleon of France who was a very arrogant and manipulative man. A man like me, he once said, troubles himself little about the lives of a million men. This further shows that Machiavelli endorsed putting the common peoples needs on the back burner. The power of the country and its leader are the only topics of importance in the eyes of Machiavelli and the numerous dictators who have implemented his beliefs. This leads through to their use of the ends justifying any means along with ruling through complete fear.