European Political Theory by Niccolo Machiavelli - Essay Example

European Political Theory- Niccolo Machiavelli- Modern A is an that claims to be a monopoly on legitimate force. It is the highest structure of human relationship. It is essential for the endorsement of human wellbeing. For a state to succeed, it should be respected even by the sacrifice of the individual for the interest of the state. Any ruler should remember that whatever makes a state to succeed is power. For acquiring political power, a leader can use several ways. Political statesman plays an imperative task in organizing state, and providing it with protection and safety. Machiavelli played an important role in explaining modern power politics. This essay will examine the modern state as explained by Niccolo Machiavelli. According to Machiavelli republicanism, was not a commitment to the value of civic and military virtue, but a commitment to ensure an ordered republic that is in order by the rule of law. He suggested that republicanism was a commitment to civil and political life. Machiavelli believed that any type of government should be committed to improve the civil and political life of its citizens. According to him any government that did not fulfill the requirements of political and civil life was either tyrannical or a corrupt republic. These are two calamities that can befall a state and disable its proper operation. Machiavelli did not recommend the republican form of government, because the republican form requires virtuous honest and patriotic citizens. The foundation of government is the reason of state, government is not created by God to punish men for their sin, but the government is founded upon the weakness and insufficient of capacity of men. The republican government is liberal and democratic, there is social and political competition, the government is controlled by the rule of command and the authority of the government is both recognized and supported by values that encourage civic virtue and love of the country. According to Machiavelli an ideal republic is not primarily power that creates obedience, but authority, a situation where people obey the law because it is socially and morally appropriate, rather than being simply in their self-interest. On the other hand, Machiavelli saw political action as manipulative rather architectonic. Politics and people were mastered and restricted. To own power was to be able to organize and maneuver the dealings of others and thereby to make proceedings conform to one’s wishes. Therefore, one way to successfully manipulate a mass is to create a national agreement. Machiavelli proposed that a standardized mass could be more effortlessly manipulated than a differentiated people. But also, too much unity kills off the public, in the long run, because of the imaginative wasteland it gives. Development of the populace by performing as a role model was similarly vital for Machiavelli. Though, Machiavelli did not resolve that having the prince as a role model for others to trail. The method of leadership’s and the system’s ultimate character need to grow to be a part of every citizen’s ethical values. This will foster unity and loyalty to the leadership among the citizens as well as patriotism. This type of unity can be attained either through misinformation, education or external threats. The latter, uniting behind an enemy, is probably the most common way to consolidate authority, show heroism, create patriotism and make the citizens believe in the righteousness of the leadership. Social contract was to help in avoiding a state of chaos among the citizens. The security conformity is the fundamental type of social contract. Once the indispensable need for security is satisfied, populace will have an instantaneous wish to further advance their living situations. This is where growth comes in as a succeeding social contract. According to Machiavelli a state should provide policies aimed at creating a higher growth of the nation. It is a win-win conformity; the stronger the country, the stronger the state. Whether the regime is democratic or not is irrelevant as long as the social contract to provide security and development is not broken. A government can successfully honor the social contract no matter if it is authoritarian or democratic. The regime will be replaced if the social contract is broken. Power is the extreme variable in a nation state. It is the ability to control others by control others by compelling their obedience, it involves making people to obey whether they want to or not. All power, direct or indirect, blatant or subtle is a form of coercion and compulsion. Power can be obtained through the following ways; by using force and threats, rewards as payment for good behavior, and legitimacy in which power is gained through established and recognized moral rights it is the responsibility of the supporters to obey. Power that is obtained by force is characterized by immediate compliance, resentment, and hostility requires monitoring, and it can generate revolts from the followers. Power that is obtained through rewards involves constant payment, and it faces many challenges. On the other hand, legitimate power is characterized by obedience and low monitoring there is loyalty and respect, low cost, and it is efficient and stable. If in a society men are fraudulent and self-seeking and the law is ineffective, then regular organization is not achievable at all. A greater power is necessary for bringing people into order. The government with complete power stops the excessive desires and controls the behavior of the people. Citizens must be controlled by force since force breeds trepidation. Only power and domination can keep manage and check on evil tendencies in man in man. Therefore, the scheme of government should be force and persuasion. Most extreme form of power should be avoided, but threat can be used since it is very effective. The effective use of power is based on understanding human nature and behavior which is naturally derived by self-interest. When a leader knows where self interest of the followers lies he can determine what they are planning to do before they do it, and this will help him to act in time. Authority can also be used to control the self-interest of the followers and ensure that their interests are met. This will make the followers happy, and they will appreciate and applaud their leader in turn. People do not care which method their leader uses to meet their needs, but all they care about is to be given what they need. Prince should strive to win reputation, goodwill and liking of his people. He ought to keep his subjects substantially satisfied by not taxing them. He should not obstruct in age-old way of life and customs of his people since by nature people are conformist. He is be supposed to avoid craving for riches and women of his subjects. He ought to keep watchful eye on his dissidents. There are rules that the prince should put into consideration while using his political powers. The prince should think about politics in a totally different way, and be strictly empirical in his analysis. He should be cold bloodedly logical in the conclusions he makes from his analysis because some of this can adversely affect his leadership. The prince should also not let ethics and words from other people blind him. He must always act logically as his thinking guides him. He should ensure that he keeps absolute power in his own hands. A prince must find ways to maximize his control over others and keep them dependent on him. Use of power should be based on a logical conclusion, and it cannot be based on violence as an alternative method of solving conflicts. Violence should be a short term tool. There are some rules that should be followed when using violence this should include; the prince should not use violence unless it is absolutely necessary because use of violence may result to generation of resistance which may bring about threats to the government. If the prince resolves to use violence, it should be quick total and without mercy. This violence should amount to total destruction of your enemy this is because the no longer poses danger to the regular operation of the state. Violence that is conducted without death leads to hatred that in turn produces revenge and hatred. In using violence the leader should get someone else to do the work for him, this is because it will give him plausible deniability of the action. It is always better for the prince to be feared than loved this is because people will not go in opposition to the rules and conventions. He should base his support on the people rather than the nobility. The nobility are always devious/ close proximity to power and see the benefits of power. This can be the primary source of political instability in a state; therefore, the prince should eliminate the nobility. Violence can be used wrongly in situations where it denies people liberty and freedom to choose their leaders without constraints. And this hinders democracy; an ideal republic has to be politically and socially competitive. Conflicts and competition strengthens the state and this becomes the breeding grounds of new ideas and new ways of doing things. It becomes necessary for a prince to learn how not to be good while appearing to be the opposite. Legitimacy is an established and recognized moral right to rule and obligations of followers to obey. There are various types of legitimacy that include; a traditional authority that is a type of legitimacy that is that is acknowledged and accepted due to its longevity. In this situation, people want to preserve long-established customs, habits, social structures, and convention. According to Machiavelli the idea that power and authority are the same is a false assumption. The two are linked but they are not synonyms. Those who have the authority are not able to access the power. In most cases in the absence of active power, authority is null and void. Authority is a gift of trust, while power is the ability. Authority refers to power which is delegated, elected or recognized. Mostly, in a free society authority is only delegated to a person or entity that we trust to protect our rights and property. Power is transformed through the mechanism that we the government give to our elected leaders. Authority that is conferred on others can be conferred on other, can be revoked when an individual’s rights are threatened by the power given to that authority. Authority that is given to the government by the people is what makes the citizens to obey and support public institutions. It is impossible for a leader to hold authority for any length of time over a given population. Totalitarian regimes will never last indefinitely, but a democratic representative regime normally prevails. There is inherent conflict of the person who has, and authority between negative and positive freedoms. Equality and justice are equal in the eyes of the law. They all rest on the concept of rightness and proper justice for all. The idea of treating everyone equal normally conflicts with the idea of treating people differently based on their incomes. Money forms the variable in this equation. Modern self-governing transmission philosopher point out that the main predicament for authoritarian regimes is that management tends to build up power agendas of their own from having been a way to provide growth; the political domination becomes a self-justifying purpose. Such types of government tend to encourage dishonesty, cronyism, and deterioration of state institutions by restraining channels of bottom-up control, which obstruct development. Machiavelli knew that most politics are less reliant on principles than pragmatism. Machiavelli proposed that in a corrupted age prominence could be attained only by wicked means. The end does not validate the means, but dictate the means. In order to reach a political goal one has to be both courageous and deceptive, that is, have both “good” and “evil” capabilities according to what the political situation requires. Uniting becomes all the more important in this reverence. Decisions should only be legitimized if they are recognized as necessary for the common good. If citizens do not identify with what is common, they will not approve of the conclusion. Basing decisions on obligation can only be attained through unity. References Machiavelli, Niccolò. The prince. University of Chicago Press, 1998. Read More