Machiavelli and How to Respond to Events Determined by Fortune - Essay Example

For Machiavelli, how should a leader sensibly and reasonably respond to an environment where events are determined in part by fortune? Institution Instructor Date There are certain situations where that fate or the decisions that a leader makes depend completely on fortune and this has been an ongoing problem for many of these individuals for centuries. While this may be the case, Machiavelli, in The Prince has several prescriptions to the problem, although most of his methods seem to lean towards authoritarianism. Machiavelli was active in an environment where nothing seemed to be certain because rulers were often overthrown and sent into exile as well as there being political machinations between the various members of the elite on a daily basis. Therefore, the Machiavellian approach recommends an extremely practical approach to those situations that arise from fortune; an approach that might be frowned upon in the liberal dominated world of today. Politics is essentially influenced more by fortune than by the machinations of leaders and it is because of this that, according to Machiavelli, is to create a balance between the various interests within the state so that he can have an influence on all of them (Machiavelli: 22). The result of a balancing of interests is that a leader can be able to create a political environment, which favours himself rather than his opponents. Leaders always have to be careful to ensure that more competent or popular individuals within their societies do not take their power away and this is the reason why they have to take account of all the grievances that might arise. In most cases, rivals often take advantage of situations where the leader is in a weak position in order to press their own causes and it is because of these circumstances that a leader has to always have firm control over the state. A leader has to stabilise his power through the development of an enduring political structure because this is the only way through which they can retain their power (Machiavelli: 17). Therefore, if a leader wishes not to leave anything to fortune, it is essential that he provide his people with the stability and security that they need to ensure that they continue their support for him. With the support of the people over whom he rules, it would be much more difficult for rivals to take advantage of the situation to either reduce his power or depose him. When a new leader comes to power, he has to ensure that he studies the political environment carefully before making any drastic changes within the society because to do so immediately might jeopardise his rule. He must first stabilise his rule through the studying of the different actors within the state as well as their interests so that he can act decisively against those that are against him and support those that will further secure his power. According to Machiavelli, it is essential for a leader to make a distinction between public and private morality because this will enable him to ensure the retention of his power while at the same time allowing him to rule well (Machiavelli: 58). Fortune is one of the most distabilizing factors in the rule of a leader because it is never known whether situations will work in his favour or not. Therefore, a leader has to take an active part in ensuring that his power is secured so that he spends more time attempting to achieve his objectives rather than fighting off rivals. Securing a leader’s power might involve some immoral actions and these should be timed appropriately so that there are no reprisals. Among these actions is the occasional use of brute force to ensure that rivals are sufficiently intimidated so as not to pose a threat, or to kill off all potential rivals so that the leaders can be more secured. In this way, the leader leaves nothing to fortune and he secures himself completely to such an extent that he can rule well without any fear of being deposed. There are often times when a leader might have to deal with resistant populations and in order to do this effectively; he has to be actively involved in the removal of all resistance. This can be done using deceit or force because this is the only means through which such resistance to the leader’s rule can be overcome. Where a leader chooses to ignore resistant populations, there is the possibility that his loyal subjects might come to view him as being weak and this situation might lead to a lack of confidence in his rule (Machiavelli: 15). A leader has to show strength at all times because this is the only means through which his people can develop and retain confidence in him because to do otherwise would mean that he leaves his authority over the society to fortune. A public display of strength, even though a leader is not strong, makes it possible to earn the respect of those who follow him and this makes his rule more secure and dissuades rivals from attempting to asurp his power. A leader has to do everything possible to make sure that there is stability in the society and he should not leave anything to fortune even if it means resorting to violence. According to Machiavelli, violence is essential in the development of new legal institutions as well as in the stabilisation of the rule of a new leader because it allows for the establishment of his authority over the society while at the same time cowering those who would challenge it (Machiavelli: 76). The discussion above has shown that a leader has to always deal with situations from a position of strength rather than leaving them to fortune because they might have the negative effect of eroding his authority. The means of dealing with situations as recommended with Machiavelli is through the development of strong institutions, which support a leader so that he can effectively dominate the society and implement his agenda. Not leaving situations to fortune makes it possible for a leader to become a good ruler who has the respect of his people, hence making his position secure. References Machiavelli, N. 1985, The Prince. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Read More