Analysis Of Machiavelli's The Prince

Throughout Machiavelli’s novel, we encounter several specific instances in which the author gives explicit advice to would be or currently serving princes and rulers of nations. Much of this advice can be easily translated to world leaders in the present day, including the President of the United States. However, some of the advice that Machiavelli gives out are things that often times don’t apply to current world leaders. As I explore the novel, I can’t help but imagine several real life politicians using some of the methods of ruling discussed by Machiavelli, with the true of definition of Machiavellianism being “the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct.” In many ways, Machiavelli provided a hand

Much of why Machiavelli wrote The Prince was to advise rulers of hereditary principalities, or principalities gained through birthright. This is something that doesn’t apply to those involved in politics in the modern day, especially those of the United States. Machiavelli states in Chapter II of The Prince regarding Hereditary Principalities that “Hereditary states accustomed to the family of their ruler are more easily kept than new ones, because it is sufficient if the prince does not abandon the methods of his ancestors and proves adaptable when unforeseen events occur.” Although the leaders and politicians of the United States must adapt to many unforeseen events, we elect our leaders unlike the leaders referred to by Machiavelli in The Prince. In Chapter XI of The Prince, Machiavelli discusses Ecclesiastical Principalities, or those ruled by the Catholic Church. This is another thing that doesn’t exist within the United States, although there exists a large emphasis on religion, never has the United States been controlled by the church or the pope. Machiavelli goes on to explain the way in which the church obtained such power and explains the military use under Popes Alexander VI and Julius

We view The Prince as a guide for political power plays and remains a polarizing piece of literature that still guides politics today. However, much of what Machiavelli refers to in The Prince is out of date and doesn’t apply to the leaders of the United States. In some ways, The Prince helps guide those involved in politics because to be involved you must be ruthless and unforgiving, however, The Prince was written at a different time in history, when rulers used military might to obtain