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Machiavelli on leadership
What are machiavelli's views on leaders
Story of queen elizabeth i
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Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of King Henry I and ruler during the Elizabethan era, is in fact a Machiavellian ruler. Elizabeth ruled from 1558 to 1603 after the death of her stepsister , Mary I. Queen Elizabeth was a strong leader of England who was loved by her people and held a very high status. Elizabeth exhibited traits such as ruthlessness, cunning, smart, observant, frugal in the eyes of her people, and knowledgeable in keeping a status. All the characteristics that Queen Elizabeth exhibited are the attributes of a machiavellian ruler defined by Niccolo Machiavelli, in his book The Prince. In the novel The Prince Machiavelli defines a great ruler as being ruthless meaning the ruler strikes fear, and is willing to do whatever
it takes to obtain and keep there power. In the novel The Prince Machiavelli wrights"since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them it is far safer to be feared than loved". Machiavelli is very clear in his knowledge that a good ruler should always know how to command when it's needed. Cunning meaning getting what you seek in a clever and deceptive way is another trait that Machiavelli says is needed to be a good ruler. Machiavelli also says to be a good ruler one must be smart and observant, the ruler must be educated in many fields to better govern the people and aware of all the people and events occurring around them. Queen Elizabeth was a beloved ruler, Elizabeth created and name and status witch helped her gain trust from the people of England. Elizabeth was a strong leader who ruled with a mindset of her own, even though Elizabeth had advisors and a educated council. Elizabeth was very smart ruler who used the unappreciated attributes as a personal advantage. Elizabeth used the criticism of never marrying as a plot to self promote and keep open alliances. Queen Elizabeth was a very cunning ruler that meticulously ruled England and held great stature. Elizabeth exhibited traits such as rootlessness, cunning, smart, observant, frugal in the eyes of the people, and knowledgeable in keeping a status. Elizabeth displayed ruthlessness in the beheading of Mary Queen of Scouts. Mary threatened Elizabeth's power in England witches caused Mary to be executed. Elizabeth also showed the characteristic of being cunning and smart by posing to be a great ruler to the people of England never allowing the people too see the debt she put England in. Elizabeth demonstrated the knowledge of status by promoting her name and using flaws as a weapon to self promote. Queen Elizabeth was a very influential Machiavellian ruler. Elizabeth demonstrates the many traits of a Machiavellian ruler. Elizabeth showed characteristics such as rootlessness, cunning, smart, observant, frugal in the eyes of the people, and knowledgeable in keeping a status. Elizabeth was the Machiavellian ruler of the Elizabethan era.
Niccolo Machiavelli believes in a strong government. The leader should be strong and feared. I believe he gets this idea from the fear of God; no one is supposed to question God because he is so feared, and in the same sense, no one should question a strong leader. Machiavelli realizes that the leader should be feared, but not hated. A hated leader will probably be killed in a rebellion. One also can not be loved. Any compassion towards your citizens will make them believe you are weak, and they will rebel. He thinks a very strong military is necessary at all times, and that powerful arms should be available and in hand. This idea is similar to that of right wing America and our friends, the National Rifle Association, who believe assault rifles are America’s pastime. The nation should always be prepared for war, and should always be searching for new lands to conquer. T...
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.
She showed this best when she “took time for leisurely pursuits. She loved music and could play the lute herself,” (bio.com). Because of her love of the arts, Elizabeth gained social power. Social power for a ruler is the ability to use the arts in order to influence a country or a ruler’s image in a way that helps them keep power. Elizabeth loved going to see plays or dances in her free time. This allowed her to gain social power because it was a way to connect with her subjects. It allowed commoners to trust her more and they could feel they were more personally connected to her than they were before. Elizabeth’s complete social control could also be seen when artists would honor Elizabeth “by painting her portrait. These images reveal that she was an early fashionista,” (bio.com). Her image was a very important factor in her reign of power. She was able to present herself as very well respected and almost “God-like”. Elizabeth wanted to show people who would see her or her portraits that she was not just a weak woman. She was a force to be reckoned with and her people could see this. She gained social power because her subjects looked up to her and respected her very much. This also allowed commoners to trust her more because her image showed she was intelligent could make decisions for
As he begins to conclude, Machiavelli states that the prince: “should think about avoiding those things which make him hated and despised.” (Mach 48) Although these lack any withstanding moral values, they are effective in the sense that they better serve their purpose. Machiavelli was seeking to display a way to hold political power by any means possible not a utopian state. This may mean malicious acts, imprisonment, and torture, or it may mean the utilization of power to achieve a common good. Machiavelli doesn’t elaborate on this. He concentrates on a realistic approach towards government, as he remains concerned with the establishment and protection of power.
Although Machiavelli gives numerous points on what it takes to excel as a prince, he also shows some raw examples of how he feels a prince should act in order to achieve maximum supremacy. First, when he says, "ought to hold of little account a reputation for being mean, for it is one of those vices which will enable him to govern" proves Machiavelli feels mighty adamant about his view that being mean will help a prince achieve success (332). It is absurd to imagine the meanest prince as the most successful. Also, when Machiavelli states, "our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account, and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft" revealing his attitude to manipulate people into fearing and respecting the prince (335). Also, Machiavelli shows that for a prince to be successful, he must not think about good faith.
The person that closely embodied Machiavelli’s “The Prince” was Adolf Hitler. There is more to Adolf Hitler than everyone usually knows. Besides from being one of the most hated people in the history of the world, he had the characteristics of a good leader. The correlation between him, and Machiavelli’s perspective on what a good prince/leader is supposed to be is extremely similar. It is as if Hitler Studied “The Prince” before he began to pursue his rule over Germany. There are several ideas that are presented, to prove this comparison plausible.
Throughout The Prince Machiavelli gives definite instructions as to how a prince should and should not behave which often conforms to the traditional image of men as being tough
The most astounding aspect of The Prince is Machiavelli’s view that princes may indeed, be cruel and dishonest if their ultimate aim is for the good of the state. It is not only acceptable but necessary to lie, to use torture, and to walk over other states and cities. Machiavellianism is defined as “A political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the relevance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power (Def.)” This implies that in the conquest for power, the ends justify the means. This is the basis of Machiavellianism. The priority for the power holder is to keep the security of the state regardless of the morality of the means. He accepts that these things are in and of themselves morally wrong, but he points out that the consequences of failure, the ruin of states and the destruction of cities, can be far worse. Machiavelli strongly emphasizes that princes should not hesitate to use immoral methods to achieve power, if power is necessary for security and survival.
Machiavelli’s “The Prince” was a very detailed, written account as to what the perfect leader or, in this case, prince should be. According to the Florence native, a true “prince” should be ruthless and not afraid to shun moral obligations in order to maintain his power. He should be inwardly frugal while outwardly appearing generous to the people he rules over. Even though he must be ruthless in his leadership, he should also give the impression that he is a just ruler. A true Prince, he stated, must be like a lion and a fox. He must be able to scare away those who threaten his power and he must have the cunning to keep his power. After extensive research on old and new rulers from all around the world, one modern leader seems to fit Machiavelli’s prince down to the letter. That man is the infamous Russian president, Vladimir Putin
Queen Elizabeth I was said to be one of the best rulers of England. Unlike rulers before her, she was a Protestant and not a Catholic. She was not stupid though. She did go to church and did everything that Catholics did to prevent getting her head cut off under the rules of her sister Mary. Elizabeth was very young when she came to rule. She was only 17 years old when her sister Mary died and she took over.
However, the prince himself must resist from the temptation of greed that power brings. If he becomes too self-obsessed, his subjects will no longer value and adore him. In terms of political power, the theorist believes a successful ruler to be sly and secretive while avoiding hatred and accepting criticisms. He outlines the dangers of liberality, stating that far too much kindness can only end in disaster. Instead, Machiavelli suggests the importance of a fierce and successful ruler to be feared rather than loved. A leader cannot allow a poor reputation to interfere with his judgement, instead he should embrace it and focus on the protection and security of his land and his people. He argues that *great things* have yet to be accomplished by a ruler who has let his compassion for his people cloud his judgement and deter him from taking risks. Through his perspective, a prince should not live virtuously, but instead live wanting to achieve the most practical benefit for his subjects. However, a prince must guard himself from being despised and hated. Machiavelli's beliefs served to bring
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...
Machiavelli discusses assertive and bold ideas in “The Prince,” revealing his radical and courageous nature. His treatise is deceptively self-soliciting, because he disguises his extreme notions behind a veil of feigned expertise. His frank approach makes him appear confident and deserving of the utmost respect; however, he cautiously humbles himself by pouring immense flattery for the ruling prince into his work and, in doing so, assures protection for himself and his notorious ideas.
Some may take this to mean a completely different thing, such as thinking that Machiavelli believes that the end justifies the means, that a leader should lie to the people, and that a ruler has to rule with force. In actuality, Machiavelli means no such thing. He says that there are times when the common good outweighs the means, and the morality of a ruler’s actions. He also says that you cannot be loved by everyone, so try to be loved and feared at the same time, but of the two, choose to be feared.
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...