Machiavelli
In the sixteenth century, Florence was in a period of turmoil and political instability due to the clashes between different ruling elite. It was in this social and political climate that Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince. The book is a practical guide to world leadership. The author focuses on the qualities of successful and unsuccessful leaders, the nature of their actions and decisions, and how they can and should react to various situations when they arise in the political arena. Machiavelli uses historical examples to substantiate his claims, when possible. One of the defining features of Machiavelli's The Prince is that the author is primarily concerned with maintaining political order and stability, rather than on making ethical choices. This stems directly from the historical context of political instability in which Machiavelli wrote. Similarly, Machiavelli's primary concerns are for how leaders can remain strong and powerful in their domains and not with the rights of the citizens. The Prince is studied both for its content, in terms of what Machiavelli says about the nature of effective leadership and how that can be applied to contemporary issues; and also for its historical and philosophical interest.
Divided into 26 brief chapters, The Prince offers succinct information about each topic. Modern readers might compare it to a self-help guide, which can be applied to various situations. The first three chapters are about the different structures of "principalities" and republics. Machiavelli points out the difference between a ruler who...
" Parallels with business takeovers are frighteningly stark. Change. In the Prince he says "It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things" (Machiavelli). Relevancy...and Not The impact of Machiavelli's writing on politics has been accepted for some time, but the relevance of his ideas to business had to wait until
Machiavelli's Understanding of the Populace in the Prince and the Discourses The focus of this study is Machiavelli's Understanding of the Populace in the Prince and the Discourses. This study will answer the question of what makes the populace of his contemporary era different from that of other places and times. Secondly this work will compare the populace of Machiavelli's contemporary era with past societies and republics. Machiavelli's Understanding of the
However, to interpret Machiavelli from this angle only would be to view his thoughts myopically. (Viroli, 1998) This is because the other piece of work that Machiavelli wrote at about the same time, the "Discourses on Livy" showed Machiavelli to be essentially a republican who perceived the state to be an autonomous and secular entity which depended upon mass support and human skills for its survival. According to a
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