Could the advice Niccolò Machiavelli gave in his book The Prince still be used by leaders five centuries later? A current powerful European leader is President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Putin has made use of Machiavelli’s advice which has brought him an enormous amount of success as a Russian politician. That being said proves that Machiavelli’s advice to leaders is still in use now a days. Putin exhibits a lot of qualities of a Machiavellian ruler that include his strong military and law enforcement, his admiration by his people, and finally his cunning personality.
The position of being president lets Putin do actions that are purposely done for benefitting Russia, which is a quality Machiavelli believes is effective. I would not say Vladimir
…show more content…
Russia also has the most nuclear warheads than any other country in the world. Machiavelli shares his belief in The Prince that “a prince should have no other object, nor any other thought, nor take anything else as his art but that of war and its orders and discipline; for that is the only art which is of concern to one who commands.” (58), and it is evident that Putin has followed that. Putin was a soldier before he was a politician. In Russia it is a law that all eighteen to twenty-seven year old male citizens must be drafted for at least one year in Russia’s military. Putin joined the KGB upon his graduation in 1975, and then went through a year’s training in Okhta, Leningrad at the 401st KGB school. After his training he worked briefly in the Second Chief Directorate where his duties included monitoring foreigners and consular officials in Leningrad. In The Prince, Machiavelli shares his opinion that “a prince who founds on the people knows how to command and is a man full of heart, does not get frightened in adversity, does not fail to make other preparations, and with his spirit and his orders keeps the generality of people inspired, he will never find himself deceived by them and he will see he has laid his foundations well.” (41). …show more content…
In 2007 Putin decided he wanted to have more of the Russian military in the Artic. The Artic is like the new kingdoms and territories princes would claim in the early ages because it has not been explored by many other countries. A Russian expedition named Arktika 2007, led by Artur Chilingarov, dropped a titanium tube that contained the Russian flag below the North Pole. Putin has expanded the influence of Russia into new land through military forces which is what Machiavelli’s advice means. Russia also has one of the most disciplined prison in the world, it is called the Federal Penitentiary Service or FSIN. INSERT QUOTE FROM BOOK HERE. Machiavelli then states that there would be less crime with a strong military presence. Besides the Federal Penitentiary Service Russia has a lot more prisons that are really tough. The Russian citizens have a great extent of love for their president, Vladimir Putin which is something Machiavelli truly believes is the key to having support in the decisions he makes. As Machiavelli said in The Prince “Therefore the best fortress there is, is not to be hated by the people,” (87). Putin has earned many awards because of his leadership. Some of these awards include Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, Time’s top one hundred most influential people in the world, and his Confucius Peace Prize. Putin’s current approval rating is
In including those who in his opinion had superior leadership ability, Machiavelli seeks to
Machiavelli believes that a government should be very structured, controlled, and powerful. He makes it known that the only priorities of a prince are war, the institutions, and discipline. His writings describes how it is more important for a prince to be practical than moral. This is shown where he writes, "in order to maintain the state he is often obliged to act against his promise, against charity, against humanity, and against religion" (47). In addition, Machiavelli argues that a prince may have to be cunning and deceitful in order to maintain political power. He takes the stance that it is better for the prince to be feared than loved. His view of how a government should run and his unethical conduct are both early signs of dictatorship.
Machiavelli understood the importance of keeping the good will of the governed populace, and with this as its backbone, The Prince provides historically supported advice on how to rule. Because of this, the Machiavellian doctrine has been accepted and followed, knowingly or unknowingly, by multitudes of princes, kings, prime ministers and presidents since his time.
Machiavelli believed that it is safer for a leader to be feared rather than loved. Yet, a leader should
Many would argue on the topic of Machiavelli and his advice for people who are looking to have power and maintain it which is mentioned in "The Prince".The argument is whether Machiavelli's ideas can be used in todays society or not.Machiavelli brings up in his writings about people in the past, and uses them as an example to show how his tactics he brings forth worked and helped rulers maintain a steady kingdom.Machiavelli talks on how a prince should be towards his enemies and friends.His advice pretty mcuh relies on not trusting just anybody.Many would agree and say that Machiavelli's ideas can definetly be used in todays society.Especially with the leaders we have today such as presidents , mayors , government etc., as well as the allies
Machiavelli’s ultimate goal is to inform the Prince on how to keep his principality and assure his spot. The Prince needs to maintain power and can do anything to get and keep it, as long as it doesn’t affect his subjects negatively. Some methods can be steal land, make empty promises, and cheat people in order to stay on top. Machiavelli says “The Principle foundations that all States have, as well new, as old, or mixt are good laws, and good armes; and because there cannot be good laws where there are good armes; and where there are good armes, there must be good laws.” (Letter 12) Without good armies there cannot be good laws, but if a state has a strong army, that shows the state has good laws that are enforced.It is crucial to lay down a solid foundation, because after he has spent so long clawing his way to the top, he wouldn’t want all of it come crashing down. This means eliminating rivals and winning followers. Machiavelli says “They who by fortune only becomes Princes of private men, with small pains to attain is, but have much ado to maintain themselves in it; and find no difficulty at all in the way, because they are carried thither with...
With humble beginnings, as Vladimir himself put it in his autobiography, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born October 7th, 1952, within St. Petersburg, Russia. Raised by his mother Maria, who was a factory worker, and his father Vladimir, who was a conscript. Putin was dead set on joining the KGB, the Committee for State Security. In his autobiography he says he was “a pure and utterly successful product of Soviet patriotic education.” But he also says that most of this “notion of the KGB came from romantic spy stories” In short, he never knew what he was getting into. To follow...
Shelley, Louise I. “The Challenge of Crime and Corruption.” Russia’s Policy Challenges. Ed. Stephen Wegren. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2003. 103-122.
For all of Machiavelli’s ruthlessness and espousal of deceit, he knew the value of authenticity and relying on his administration. A true leader cannot achieve greatness alone. Machiavelli says that the prince is the state, and the state is the prince. This means that whatever vision and principles the leader holds in the highest regard, they must be known to the state so that they can be realized. He believed that no matter how a prince was elected, his success would depend largely on his ministers. Collaboration between a prince and ministers would create an atmosphere of harmony and camaraderie, highly reducing the chances of rebellion. Without the support and cooperation of the people, military action is not possible, expansion is not possible and most importantly, governance is not possible. If a leader does not satisfy the needs of the people, they have the power to overthrow him through strength in numbers. Thus, a leader depends just as much on the people as they do on him. A leader must be able to convince the people to buy into his visio...
Historically, many dictators and democratic leaders have almost always wanted to be loved, while those leaders responsible for maintaining law and order by force – such as corporate managers, department heads, police – wish to be feared. In some respects, it is impossible to have one without the other. To be loved would imply weakness in one’s leadership; to be feared would bring the assumption that a ruler is heartless and uncaring about his people and their welfare. With too much love comes the want for a more respectable, terrifying figure that could not ever possibly be overthrown or taken advantage of, and vice versa. It is the human habit to want what we cannot have, as the proverbial grass of politics will always seem greener on the other side.
Machiavelli in his famous book “The Prince” describes the necessary characteristics for a strong and successful leader. He believes that one of the most important characteristics is to rule in favor of his government and to hold power in his hands. Power is an essential aspect of Machiavelli’s theory, and a leader should do whatever it takes to keep it for the safety of his country because “the ends justifies the means.” To attain and preserve the power, a leader should rather be feared than loved by his people, but it is vital not to be hated. As he states, “anyone compelled to choose will find far greater security in being feared than in being loved.” If a leader is feared, the people are less likely to revolt, and in the end, only a threat of punishment can guarantee obedienc...
Since times has changed, it is more beneficial to be loved than feared as a ruler. Many countries now practice democracy as their form of government, and being loved will help politicians secure their way into being elected. Politicians work their hardest in order to be on the good side of the citizens to get their votes. By showing kindness and hospitality, such as helping charities and promising to help the poor when elected, many politicians can gain the support of the citizens. This is the complete opposite of what Machiavelli had suggested in “The Qualities of the Prince.” If a modern time politician was to follow his advice, many people would likely despise the politician instead of liking him and end up not voting for the politician in fears of him not being a good leader for the
Being a successful leader also means being able to anticipate trouble even when everything seems fine, and this forethought is what so many fail to consider. Using Italian rulers as an example of why Italian princes have lost their estates, Machiavelli writes, “ Their own indolence was to blame because having never imagined when times were quiet they they could change (and this is a common failing of mankind, never to anticipate a storm when the sea is calm), when adversity came their first thoughts were of flight and not of resistance. (page 78). A successful prince needs to be skilled in the art of war, but Machiavelli would agree that this skill is very useful for affairs aside international ones, such as domestic affairs. At one point or another a leader is faced with an arduous decision that involves hurting a part of the population. Machiavelli realizes that there is no realistic way of governing a group of people and keeping them all content at the same time, therefore a prince must systematically make tough decisions, keeping the majority content as the minority can not overthrow once you've taken everything they have. It may seem immoral to hurt the minority simply because they can not rebel, however, it makes far much more sense than causing hurt upon the majority, as that would make a prince contemptible, therefore staggering his political
... to the times of kings and princess, however it must be noted that the underlying human emotions and their motivations can only be dealt with decisiveness and deep plotting. The concepts discussed are applicable to all leaders and politicians holding offices. Bottom line is, some things never changes. Even though a lot has changed, principles of Machiavelli’s Prince are adapted and used widely yet secretly in a complex world of growth and prosperity with a greater demography and geography.
Navalny, Alexey A. 2014. How to Punish Putin. NY : The New York Times, 2014.