Machiavelli's Argument Essay

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The word Machiavelli is so associated tyranny, fear, cruelty and an unwillingness to even contemplate morality that even one who is unfamiliar with his writings associates the word Machiavelli with villainy and immoral actions. In this essay however, it will be seen that Niccolò Machiavelli does indeed pay attention to the political demands of morality. On one hand, Machiavelli recognizes the appearance of benevolence in a political leader as a fundamental quality which they must possess in order to succeed in politics. On the other hand, he states that governing with genuine morality cannot guarantee a leader’s longevity in power, and indeed, may hasten their political demise. This essay will then overview sources which see Machiavelli‘s views …show more content…

When a political leader is considering whether it is better and more conducive to success for a political leader to be loved or feared, Machiavelli states that it is best to be both loved and feared. Yet if the possession of both of these qualities proves to be impossible for the leader to obtain, as is usually the case, then it is better for them to be feared than loved, but not in such a way that provokes the hatred of their citizens. Machiavelli is of this opinion because he sees humans as generally being disloyal, unappreciative, deceitful, libellous, cowardly, and greedy. If a leader is loved but not feared, then the citizens will only remain loyal to the leader while they placate their citizens, but when the leader requires their citizens to repay the generosity which they have given to the citizens, they will rebel against said leader, rendering the leader politically dead. For, according to Machiavelli, friendships and alliances which are acquired with strings attached to them, and are not forged on an honest or worthful base, will be of no use to the leader when he needs them most. Furthermore, as Machiavelli sees man as innately wicked, a citizen will be more inclined to offend a beloved leader than a feared leader, as the citizen will believe that they will …show more content…

Machiavelli cites the example of Hannibal and his colossal army which contained various sorts of men, and how it remained united both among each other and under Hannibal, as the men were fearful and respectful of him due to his cruel reputation. Machiavelli also cites the example of Scipio and how the Roman armies under his command acted disloyally against him while in Spain due to not disciplining them enough and allowing them too much freedom. Eventually, he was censured in the Roman Senate by Fabius Maximus as a weak leader who had ruined their armies with his lack of discipline and his overindulgence in mercy (Machiavelli, 1985 [1513], chap. 17: p.

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