The Ideas of Machiavelli - Essay Example

Niccolo Machiavelli Early life Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy on May 3, 1469 (Kreis, 2007). In his early life, he was exposed to the troubles of the French invasion in 1493 when the Medici were run off. Subsequently, in 1498, he became the secretary of the Ten and held such position until the fall of the republic in 1512 (Kreis, 2007). After his stint as a secretary of the Ten, he was assigned to various missions and his dispatches during these journeys, including his treatises – The Affairs of France and Germany are deeply insightful (Kreis, 2007). When the Medici was restored, he was involved in the downfall of his patron Gonfaloniere Soderini and upon his arrest for conspiracy in 1513, he was tortured – but he never admitted knowledge of the alleged conspiracy (Kreis, 2007). He was subsequently pardoned, and was obliged to retire from public life. He later devoted himself to his writing (Kreis, 2007). In 1519, he was commissioned by Leo X to write his report on the reform of Florence. From 1521-25, he was tasked with various diplomatic duties, including duties as a historiographer (Kreis, 2007). When the French were defeated at Pavia (1525), Italy became subject to the forces of Emperor Charles V. In 1527, the Florentines once again drove the Medici and then proclaimed the republic (Kreis, 2007). And Machiavelli, being bitterly disappointed because he was given no part in the movement for liberty, and being of declining health, died on the 22nd of June 1527. Largely due to misrepresentation, his works were considered diabolical – mostly by clergymen (Kreis, 2007). It was only in 1782 when the first great edition of his works were published and released when his reputation as the father of political science became firmly established and sustained. His writings include the Florentine Histories, Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius (Discourses), Life of Castruccio Castrancani, and the History of the Affairs of Lucca (Kreis, 2007). But his most distinctive work is The Prince. This book gained insight into the political mind of Machiavelli and his ideas solidified his status as a significant political figure in history. Discussion General respect for antiquity In one of Machiavelli’s discourses on Titus Livius, he discusses the general respect for antiquity. In his discourse, he points out the great price we place on antiques which we often use as ornaments in our homes. The ideas and politics developed by ancient kingdoms and republics which represent the wisdom of kings, captains, citizens and legislators who have died for their country are however not as revered as these antique ornaments (Kreis, 2007). However, in conflicts and differences among citizens, recourse is actually made to the judgments of the ancients. “The civil laws are in fact nothing but decisions given by their juriconsults, and which reduced to a system, direct our modern jurists in their decisions” (Machiavelli, as cited by Kreis, 2007). And with all these benefits which the ancients can bring to the people in general, Machiavelli notes how in the founding of a republic, in maintaining states and in governing kingdoms, no prince, or republic, captain or citizen takes a recourse on the examples and ideas set by the antiquities (Kreis, 2007). This oversight is attributed to the proud indolence of many Christian states, to the lack of knowledge of history. And so most people who read or are engaged in history read the texts, but do not bother to take these admirable and noble actions and apply them in their current situation. In effect, it as if the situation now is so different from the ancient times (Kreis, 2007). Machiavelli largely attributes this sense of disconnect from the wisdom of the ancients to man’s failure to read and to savor the discourses or the text of history and to take the teachings of the past and of the ancients to heart (Godorecci, 1993). And so, many of these ideas, even as they remain noble and admirable, remain in the writings, and not in the actions of man – not being emulated and applied in the current state of ‘conceited laziness’ of the current politicians and statesmen. The end justifies the means Machiavelli’s discussion in The Prince points out one of the more impactful ideas that he had. He believes that the end justifies the means. According to Machiavelli in order for princes and rulers to win power struggles, they must be seasoned in the game of politics (Riemer & Simon, 1997). These rulers would find it hard to win if they stick to the high demands of morality and law. The ruler must therefore know how to play the game of the lion and the fox – to be a fox in order to recognize the traps, and to be a lion in order to frighten wolves (Riemer & Simon, 1997). Machiavelli explains that a ruler must play that game because the end justifies the means. He states that, “where the very safety of the country depends upon the resolution to be taken, no considerations of justice of injustice, humanity or cruelty, nor of glory or shame, should be allowed to prevail. But putting all considerations aside, the only question should be, What course will save the life and liberty of the country” (Machiavelli, as quoted by Riemer & Simon, 1997, p. 10). He further goes on to explain that when the occasion calls for it, force and craft must be used shrewdly in order to ensure the smooth running of government. In these instances, matters of honor and integrity must be sacrificed in favor of more unscrupulous qualities. In order for the ruler to carry out his goals as a leader; he must protect himself from his enemies; gain friends; conquer through force and even fraud; make himself feared and loved by the people; and revered by his soldiers (Machiavelli, as cited by Riemer & Simon, 1997). He must be willing to destroy those who seek to question or seize his power and authority. Among other leaders and ‘princes,’ he must not be afraid to destroy those who seek to hurt him and the authority he represents; he must also maintain friendships with these leaders in order to ensure that they would be glad to benefit from what he can give them, but also fear his actions in case they seek to hurt him (Riemer & Simon, 1997). Machiavelli was not totally averse to the rules of Christian morality in governance, but he was quick to emphasize that in being a ruler in the corrupt world, one must not confuse himself with what ought to be and what is. “For how we live is so far removed from how we ought to live, that he who abandons what is done for what ought to be done, will rather learn to bring about his own ruin than his preservation” (Machiavelli as cited by Riemer & Simon, 1997, p. 10). The ideas of Machiavelli are tough and unforgiving rules of governance. And they capitalize on putting the prince or the ruler in a firm and entrenched position of power in the state. The way to govern cities or dominions that, previous to being occupied, lived under their own laws In Chapter V of his book, “The Prince”, Machiavelli discusses that there are three ways by which a prince can annex a republic. The first way is to destroy it completely. This was applied by the Romans in Carthage where they caused utter devastation to Carthage in order to exercise control over it (eMachiavelli, n.d). The second way is by going there to live. The third way is by allowing the pre-existing rules to continue and by creating allies among the citizens who have been governing the republic (eMachiavelli, n.d). The Spartans used the third means in their conquest of Athens. In contrasting the first and the third means of conquest, the third means was a failure, whereas the first means used by the Romans was successful because the Romans did not lose their territory (eMachiavelli, n.d). Machiavelli espouses that the only means “successfully to subdue a newly-conquered republic is to destroy it first. Republics, he argues, because they are used to freedom, will never simply lie back and be ruled by a prince” (eMachiavelli, n.d). If a prince really wants to rule and rule successfully, he must do so with force. This has always been the main mantra of Machiavelli – to resort to force and violence when necessary in order to successfully rule the state. New dominions acquired through arms and ability Machiavelli again points out the importance of following examples of the ancients, of earlier rulers, of precedents. Machiavelli further points out that men who gain power over states through their skills and abilities have a fair chance of successfully governing the citizens as compared to other men who gain power through luck or fortuna (eMachiavelli, n.d). Those who do not rely on luck tend to govern well. Examples of these men include Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, and Theseus. These men used fortuna to create opportunities in order to gain power (eMachiavelli, n.d). Moses fortunately found the Israelites enslaved by the Pharaoh and these oppressed citizens were easily convinced to follow Moses out of Egypt. Cyrus found the Persians discontent with the government of the Medes and Cyrus took advantage of the situation to take over the rule of Persia (eMachiavelli, n.d). These men were considered as innovators by Machiavelli because they were able to establish a new order of things – establishing new customs and laws in governance (eMachiavelli, n.d). These innovators stood by their own strength and not on the strength of others and in the process they gained the power which they successfully relied on. And for this reason, by standing on one’s own consistent merits and strength, according to Machiavelli, a prince would first take care of what power he can bring for himself – not so much what others can bring for him or what he can bring for others (Pitkin, 1999). And “for the same reason, it is always much safer for a prince to be feared than loved, since fear, unlike love, is reliable in adversity” (Pitkin, 1999, p. 20). The ruler who is eager to please and be loved by the people will eventually be despised because he would condescend to everyone and not get anything done. Insight The ideas of Machiavelli are deeply reflective of a tough and determined leader – one who sits high above everyone else and uses such power with impunity and strength. He is nevertheless an effective leader – the people would fear him and his followers would revere him. The affections of the people on love and affection are sentimentalities that the Machiavellian leader does not seek because seeking such affections would not benefit the republic or the state at all. Machiavelli’s ideas may be likened to that of a tyrant who imposes a will of iron among his people and his government. This type of government has worked well in the ancient and historic times when the rule and territories of men were not clearly established and defined. However, in the current political arena, this type of leadership is not anymore tolerated. The current rule of states is based as much as on strength of leadership and character of leaders as on the love and affection for one’s people. The tyrannical rule finds little respect among governments today – and the rule of tyrants like Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, and Ferdinand Marcos were deposed because the people sought more empathetic and less tyrannical and domineering governance among their leaders. Nevertheless, Machiavelli’s ideas still find legitimacy in the current political science studies and analysis. They are very much respected as part of our ancient philosophies which form the foundation of our current political and international governance. Works Cited Godorecci, B. (1993) After Machiavelli: "re-writing" and the "hermeneutic attitude". Indiana: Purdue Research Foundation Kreis, S. (2007) Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527. History Guide. Retrieved 14 June 2010 from http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/machiavelli.html eMachiavelli (n.d) Machiavelli and the context in which he wrote The Prince. Amazon.com. Retrieved 14 June 2010 from http://www.emachiavelli.com/Prince%20and%20Mach%20summary.htm Riemer, N. & Simon, D. (1997) The New World of Politics: An Introduction to Political Science. California: Collegiate Press Pitkin, H. (1999) Fortune is a woman: gender and politics in the thought of Niccolò Machiavelli. California: University of California Press Read More