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THE PHILOSOPHY Regardless of the fact that even his name has come to be equated with cunning and political manipulation in modern times. Machiavelli himself was uniquely committed to furthering the agenda of what he thought of as a “true” leader. His books, The Discourses and The Prince, are, in fact, devoted to endeavoring to discover the laws of political behavior that lead to success in political action. The Prince, which is his most renowned work, centers on the principle that justifies the definition that: The Prince is a handbook for tyrants about obtaining and retaining political power at any cost ---that is, “the end justifies the means”. From this principle, Machiavelli establishes a number of “rules” he perceived vital to the obtaining and retaining process of a successful state. His aim was to persuade the monarch that he could best preserve his power by using violence carefully and economically, by respecting the persons, property, and traditions of his subjects, and by promoting material prosperity. The Prince begins by classifying the types of principalities, how one wins them over and how to hold on to them. Machiavelli cautions princes to be prudent in their hunt for glory and wealth. According to him, when taking over a municipality one must do only two things, kill the previous prince and his whole family and do not change the current laws and taxes. Once you take over a country and kill the prince and his family, it is easy to rule: there is no one to fear. Abstaining from changing their old rules will save you from the hostility that will arise from the people. However, if it isn’t possible for you to do so, Machiavelli proposes a number of ways to pacify the colony into submission. According to him, in order to achieve this submission and calm of the people, one must be able to use force and compel others to believe, and to keep believing, in him. For, he says, the one who is able to depend on his own strength will be able to sway all unbelievers and prevent the people from ever doubting him, therefore totally conquering the land. Whereas, those who merely entreat the people will be crushed in his attempts to conquer even the weakest of states. For not only will he fail in winning over the unbelievers, there is a big possibility that his believers will doubt him eventually. To quote from The Prince, ”For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.” After gaining control of the principality, there is a need to inflict all possible cruelties to the principality swiftly and all at once, so that it may be forgotten. One may be cruel at one blow if this is necessary for one’s security. However, the prince should not persist in evil --- only when he can use this for the advantage of his people. Princes that use evil once (as required) are more successful than princes who use evil more and more every day. The Prince tells us that the people should be treated well or be crushed. The reason given for this course of action is that, if you injure someone only lightly they can still take revenge, if you crush them they can not seek revenge. A prince should, however, deliver frequent, small benefits to his people so that its positive effects last longer. For the people should feel at least a little relief once in a while. It is also important that the prince will not overdo bestowing benefits upon the people. Giving just a little benefit frequently will secure the people’s favor in you. Whereas if you give them benefits all at once, the next time they ask for more, you shall be incapable of giving them any kind of relief, thus making you disliked by the people. Having established the trust and confidence of the people in your governance, it is then important to attend to other matters of the state. While in government, the practical prince must understand statecraft and warfare, and be in constant practice of the latter. A prince should have no other aim or thought, nor take up any other thing for his study, but war and its organization and discipline. For it is through this art, the only art that is necessary to one who commands, that maintains those who are born princes and often enables men of private fortune to attain that rank. A prince should never let his mind stray from the exercise of war; which he can do in two ways: by action and by study. As to action, he must, keep his soldiers disciplined and trained, engage constantly in hunting, and learn the geography of the lands. This inclusion of geography in the art of warfare serves two purposes: the prince will be able to know his country and better defend it; and from the knowledge and experience gathered from that one locality, one can better understand those other localities which have a similarity to that which he has familiarized himself with. This is for the exercise of the body (action), but as for that of the mind, the prince is urged to read history and study the actions of eminent men. To see how they acted in battle, examine the causes of their victories and their defeats in order to imitate the former and to avoid the occurrence of the latter. It is also commendable to follow in the footsteps of great leaders who have been much praised and glorified and to make these icons’ actions and deeds the basis of their own actions and deeds. A wise prince should follow similar methods and never remain idle in peaceful times, but industriously make good use of them, so that when fortune changes she may find him prepared to resist her blows, and to prevail in adversity… Machiavelli emphasizes the importance and the advantage of an armed man as opposed to an unarmed man. He cites instances in history about the triumph of the armed and forceful leaders against the “weak and unarmed”. He declares that the chief cause of the loss of state is the contempt of this art, when princes care more about luxury than of arms. Machiavelli says that it is natural for men to want to acquire. If they do they are praised. If they are unable to acquire, they get stupid. It is easy to understand that if you do not observe these rules after taking over a principality, you might lose it. Also according to him, nothing brings a prince more prestige than great campaigns and striking demonstrations of his personal abilities. We gather from these lines that Machiavelli thinks it good for princes to attack enemies, to conquer their lands, to cripple them and to instigate fear in everyone. It is also pertinent for the prince to parade around these conquests and to pave the way to his fame and glory. This salvo of conquests will be the foundations of his political power. Nonetheless, these subjugations should be done in rapid succession in order to give people less opportunity and time to quietly plot against your own downfall. However, even as a prince is the most powerful and influential of his kind, it pays to be even more cautious. As said before, the prince should never be idle in peaceful times rather he should be even more vigilant. He should be careful that a foreigner, friend or foe, does not acquire any more power than he has. Neighboring states not taken over should not be allowed to become too powerful. Although the good prince should keep their weak friends protected and secure, he should never weaken himself, especially by helping others to become more powerful, for “he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined”. The prince must, at all times, remain master of the whole country. If he is unable to do so, he will be taken over; otherwise he will have constant power struggles for those who have designs on his kingdom. Although it is important to keep oneself aware of the goings-on in the present, sensible princes should prepare for the future too. Minor problems should be addressed immediately before it gets out of hand. To foresee problems may be difficult, but when the prince sees future problems, he must act to fix it at once. Otherwise, the demise of the country will be inevitable, for once the problem is let alone, it will be allowed room to grow until it consumes the entire country. Politics is a struggle between Fortuna and virtù (fortune and virtue, the latter in the sense of strength rather than Christian virtue). In accordance to this Machiavellian definition, a prince must always show the people that he is the embodiment of mercy, faith, integrity, humanity and religion. However, Machiavelli concedes that the prince doesn’t necessarily need to abide by these merits. He should actually only appear to be upholding these virtues.
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