Machiavelli revolutionized the manner the worldviews political relations. However. when we read his Hagiographas today. the thoughts don’t seem really radical. This is because his ideas came to incarnate political construction. Machiavelli is known for being the first political philosopher to use pragmatism to political relations. Machiavelli wanted to happen a solution to his dark world. Machiavelli’s The Prince nowadayss us with the world of the political sphere. and provides us with the tools to work with human nature and its defects. The Prince was written as a usher for Lorenzo de’Medici of Florence to remain in power. However. Lorenzo did non hold with Machiavelli’s premises. Machiavelli wants to reconstruct pride and award to Italy ( Lerner. 1950 ) . He offers a usher of how to carry through this in the Prince. Machiavelli wrote the Prince when Europe was engulfed in civil wars. Machiavelli challenged the thought of Godhead right ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Machiavelli proposed the development of a new swayer. non chosen by Godhead right or heritage. but by military conquering. Previous to the publication of The Prince. Machiavelli had witnessed desolation in Italy ( Lerner. 1950 ) .
Machiavelli witnessed how power struggles and beliing rules lead to the devastation of his state. He wanted to offer a solution to his world in The Prince. A state wants stableness. security. and prosperity. If the prince can supply all three while keeping the common wealth of the people. so the terminals justify the agencies. During the clip at which Machiavelli wrote The Prince. these were radical ideas. Machiavelli’s authorship was radical for humanists in this epoch. He chose non analyze regulation with Godhead foundations ( Lerner. 1950 ) . He rejected the impression of divinity and Godhead right. Machiavelli decided to take a alone path. Machiavelli’s work is based on political pragmatism. Machiavelli was the first to openly separate what we believe adult male to be. and who he truly is. By admiting what human nature truly is. he was able to analyse the ways in which Princes can pull strings the people and their power to make a stable state. This pragmatism had ne’er earlier been brought into political thought.
Machiavelli argues that an ordinary citizen is the best individual to analyse the opinion party. He argues that his bird’s oculus position is the ground he is best suited for such analysis. “For the purpose of the people is more honorable than that of aristocracy. the latter desiring to suppress. and the former simply to avoid oppression” ( Santoni. 112 ) . Machiavelli acknowledges what Politics are instead so what so what we want them to be. Machiavelli does non state that political relations can make everything and he does non state that political relations can work out all societies jobs. In The Prince. Machiavelli lays down the foundation for what a governor can make to keep security. prosperity. and stableness. Machiavelli does nevertheless. acknowledge that he can non explicate human nature. but instead the forms that lie within it. Machiavelli acknowledges that he is an perceiver in The Prince. He uses an analogy of a adult male on a hill to explicate the nature of his observation ( Lerner. 1950 ) . The adult male on the hill has the best position of the landscape. As a citizen he has observed the forms in decision-making made by politicians and was able to construe them.
Politicss can non reply all the inquiries in our society. Political thought can merely assist to supply us with the model with which we govern and are governed. The conflicting ethical rules are what cause the contention. Machiavelli acknowledges this fact and shows that moralss are non what specify political relations. but are instead a constituent. Machiavelli argues that a Prince must be able to pull strings the attitudes of the people. Machiavelli speaks of the province. He speaks of national stableness. He acknowledges that citizens and there beliefs are constituents of the province. The political pragmatism emphasized in The Prince does non merely intend to accept ‘reason of the state’ as legitimacy and allowing autonomies be crushed ( Lerner. 1950 ) . The pragmatism urges leaders to endeavor for coercion of rules. A leader unified under his people is most powerful.
In The Prince. Machiavelli offers a solution to the unsuccessful development of provinces. The Prince additions territory by triumph and sets solid foundations for the district to boom upon. “One. nevertheless. who becomes Prince by favour of the public. must keep friendly relationship. which he will happen easy. the people inquiring nil but non to be oppressed” ( Santoni. 1950 ) . Machiavelli believes that a good state with merely Torahs will develop from an efficient military. He is non reasoning that you need a war to make a province. but instead a successful triumph can make a solid foundation of the province. Machiavelli understands human nature and decides to work with it instead than ignore our defects. He knows we are non all good. but acknowledges that there is possible for us to alter ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Machiavelli does non reason that the ends of politicians are ever good.
Machiavelli acknowledges that politicians ruthlessly seek power ( Lerner. 1950 ) . They do non care how it will impact the people. This is where a politician’s calling crumbles. As noted in The Prince. you can non govern a public who hates you. They will subvert you. Therefore. a prince must unify the people under his regulation in order to obtain success. Human nature is the immorality that is unconquerable. Peoples will ne’er halt holding selfish motivations. Therefore. we must larn to organize these desires. The Prince must give the people stableness. security and prosperity. If he does this. so the people will make bold non dispute him. Machiavelli does non supply us with an account of basic human nature but instead a model. which we can utilize to regulate and be governed.
Machiavelli wants to better political relations. In the Prince he offers a program of how to regulate and how the people should be governed. He accepts that human nature is flawed. He knows that swayers are power hungry ( Lerner. 1950 ) . He besides acknowledges that a swayer will non hold a public to govern if the public hates him. Machiavelli accepts what our political relations is. and tells us of what it should be. Just because human nature is flawed. doesn’t mean we are hopeless. Humanity can accomplish prosperity. security. and stableness if achieved within the right model. This model is presented in The Prince. Machiavelli is merely supplying echt penetrations into societal organisation as the foundation for Politics ( Lerner. 1950 ) . He is clear and logical. Emotion and moralss are merely a little portion of Machiavelli’s model. “Everybody sees what you appear to be. few experience what you are. and those few will non make bold oppose themselves to the many. who have the stateliness of the province to support them” ( Santoni. 123 ) . Machiavelli provides counsel for leaders for undertakings such as covering with freshly acquired district. taking decision makers. how to carry on diplomatic negotiations. and warfare ( Lerner. 1950 ) .
Machiavelli gives specific illustrations of the manner to regulate freshly acquired district. He uses assorted state of affairss by which a Prince could get new district and how he should regulate the district. Machiavelli is sensitive to the rules of the people of the freshly acquired district. He acknowledges that the people will subvert the leader if he crosses them. “One who by his ain heroism and steps animates the mass of the people. he will non happen himself deceived by them. he will happen he has laid his foundations well” ( Santoni. 114 ) . To be a Prince you must be feared by your people. but non hated. Hatred will take to devastation. Machiavelli wants the prince to organize an ambiance in which the people fear him. but besides extremely respect him ( Lerner. 1950 ) . The fright comes from the possible usage of force by the Prince’s military against them. Machiavelli argues that a prince’s exclusive duty is to protect the state ; a prince is in control of the military and is in charge of national security.
By turn outing military laterality. you gain power ( Lerner. 1950 ) . With this power. you can pull strings the involvements of the people. Machiavelli believes that worlds are in control of their actions that curb their fates. Machiavelli besides argues that worlds do non hold control over all events. A prince must merely take into history what benefits the province when doing determinations refering the province. Machiavelli acknowledges that it is non morality of deity that will acquire Italy out of this awful muss ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Machiavelli argues that self-interest and self-defense. hence national involvements. should be pursued ruthlessly. A prince can merely perpetrate inhuman treatment if his ends warrant his agencies. “A prince. therefore. must non mind incurring the charge of inhuman treatment for the intent of maintaining his topics united and faithful” ( Santoni. 113 ) . If he is being cruel for the benefit of the state. so so be it. “In the actions of work forces and particularly of Princes. from which there is no entreaty. the terminal justifies the means” ( Santoni. 123 ) . Many criticized Machiavelli for being Anti-Christ and trying to airt our society towards immorality ( Lerner. 1950 ) . These people could non come to hold on with world. They did non desire to believe his words were true. It is evident that Machiavelli’s thoughts were far beyond his clip.
All worlds have portion of them that is ethical and normative. but we are besides obstinate ( Lerner. 1950 ) . This stubbornness consequences in two sides of political idea. Those who pursue some passionate ideal and those who accept world and expression for solutions to our defects. The prince embodies the foundations for Politics ; the battle between ethical or realistic logical thinking. Machiavelli does non adhere to the thoughts of reformists or dreamers. He is a realist. He gives concrete illustrations of ways in which a prince should regulate and how a people are to be ruled. Ideals and moralss are non powerful techniques in political relations. A successful solon is an creative person ( Lerner. 1950 ) . He knows how to pull strings the attitudes of the people by supplying them with stableness and prosperity. Religious leaders can raise moral. but they have ne’er proven to be more powerful so a solon ( Lerner. 1950 ) .
Even in the development of the American settlements. work forces of God who were brought to power learned how to utilize their power corruptedly ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Today. and during Machiavelli’s epoch. we are faced with a universe of conflicting princedoms. The battle we face today is how much to incorporate our rules to assist obtain peace ( Lerner. 1950 ) . How far can we incorporate before autonomies are lost? What are we willing to give? Machiavelli explains that he is an perceiver of political relations. He can non add an ethical context to the forms he has observed in history. He merely observed the forms and taken decisions that can be gained from them. Therefore Machiavellianism provides construction. but does non supply an equal doctrine for a manner of life ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Machiavelli sought to turn out what political relations truly is. non what we believe to be. We fear Machiavelli because he speaks the truth. Machiavelli acknowledges that leaders do non ever move harmonizing to the virtuousnesss they said they would move upon. Machiavelli argues that leaders seek power ruthlessly ( Lerner. 1950 ) .
He acknowledges that it is easy to be ruled but difficult to govern ourselves. He besides acknowledges that those in different signifiers of authorities demand to be dealt with otherwise ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Rulers of Machiavelli’s clip despised him because he allow the universe cognize how their authorization works. In modern society we hate Machiavelli because he is doing us face the quandary we have created ( Lerner. 1950 ) . He made seeable all that which we chose to disregard. Deceit and pitilessness are present in all authoritiess. Machiavelli causes us to confront our major issue of accommodating our democratic techniques to the demands of the universe ( Lerner. 1950 ) . Machiavelli’s ideas are non apolitical. They are in fact highly political. Machiavelli was able to detect forms in authorities and supply a solution to the desolation these establishments created.
In The Prince. Machiavelli listed the tactics that need to be used by a leader to derive control of the people. Machiavelli recognized that ethical rules are of import to the citizens. and the felicity of the citizens is a constituent of a provinces stableness. As a citizen he was able to acquire the best position of the effects of policy. Machiavelli was a realist. He knew that power was the centre of political relations. Machiavelli did non set out to explicate human nature or to supply his reader with a manner of life. He wrote The Prince to explicate the kineticss of the province and they ways in which the province can be successful. Machiavelli was a radical mind who opened our eyes to the world of the political sphere.
Plants Cited:
1. Santoni. Ronald. Social and Political Philosophy. New York: Random House. Inc. . 1963. Print. 2. Lerner. Max. “Machiavelli the Realist. ” Random House. Inc. . ( 1950 ) : Print.
