The Prince – Nicolo
Machiavelli (1532)
Where can I begin? It is hard to say
when it comes to the diplomat, politician and writer Nicolo Machiavelli. For one, he lived at a time of great tumult
in the peninsula we now refer to as Italy.
City-states would war against each other. Princes from foreign countries would take
turns assisting and then attacking various fiefdoms and principalities. Naples hated Florence. Pisa hated Naples. The Tuscans hated
Pisa. It was endless. Nicolo Machiavelli, considered a good public
servant, was at times placed in powerful and prestigious political positions,
where he availed himself very well. When
revolts happened, as they so often did back then, Nicolo would end up displaced
and exiled, only to be asked back by a new leadership. Eventually, Nicolo Machiavelli was arrested
and placed in custody. He was a
middle-aged man at that time, and this is when he began to write the works we
know him for today. Preeminent among
them is The Prince, an amazing work of political genius, detailing the lessons
Nicolo learned watching, assisting, and escaping from, various princes and
kings.
I learned all of the above once I
started reading The Prince, as I did some research into Nicolo Machiavelli’s
life. I mention this because the general
knowledge I had on Machiavelli was nearly complete hyperbole. The name Machiavelli, and the term
“Machiavellian,” have come to signify a person without scruples, willing to do
anything, even hurt his own people, in order to gain and keep power. This is a massive over-simplification of what
Machiavelli states in his book. It helps
to understand that Nicolo Machiavelli did not begin to write the works we know him
for until a regime change in his home forced him into incarceration. It was as a prisoner that he focused his
thoughts and had the time to write, distilling the chaos of the warring nations
of Europe and the Italian city-states, as well as the various traits witnessed
in the countless princes, kings, regents, governors, etc. whose fortunes rose
and fell with the political tide.
During his incarceration,
Machiavelli had time to process his experiences. Using the books he brought with him, he
proceeded to distill the wisdom learned during a lifetime of study and civic
duty. The work that ensued, The Prince,
is a masterpiece of political wisdom.
The first chapters are devoted to
explaining the different types of state, and how they are acquired. He describes the two basic ones, Republics
and Principalities, and goes into greater detail about the principalities. Machiavelli discusses hereditary
principalities, those received through a family line, and describes how these
type of states have the least difficulty in being held by their prince. The country and people are long-accustomed to
the reigning family, and will continue to support the Prince, unless he is of
an extremely low character.
Mixed
principalities are also discussed. These
arise either as new states, or as part of an older country that has decided to
form its own government. New leaders
burden the people, forcing them to accommodate strangers, feed invader armies,
etc. Many enemies are created, both the
locals who have seen their leaders killed and replaced, and the previous
enemies of the new prince, who rail at seeing the prince gain new territory and
wealth. This makes for a very unsteady
prince, ripe for revolution, or invasion.
Referring to a new principality located in a foreign land with foreign
language, Machiavelli suggests it is far better to create a colony than to
erase the old rule completely. The
successful new prince will relocate himself to the new land, to better allow
the people to see him, and to better cut off any rise in revolt. The new prince should make himself the
defender and leader of the less powerful neighbors as well, for this keeps a
new foreigner from taking over once the people are fed up with the latest
prince.
Machiavelli,
often in this book, will distill his ideas into statements that, when read out
of context, seem like the stereotypical “Machiavellian” ideas. For example, in discussing the situation
explained above, Machiavelli states the following, “…one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed,
because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones
they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of
such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.” This seems cold and calculating, but the mind
and decisions of a prince cannot be held to the same morality as that of a
peasant. The enemies of a common person
can cause much harm, but the enemies of a prince can destroy whole nations.
In
reference to the mighty Roman Empire, Machiavelli states that the reason the
empire lasted so long, and was able to annex and absorb countries and peoples
from far and wide, was because, for the most part, Rome was not a conqueror of
nations. Rome, instead, would be asked
to come take over a region, which they would do via the use of colonial
methods. They would support the
neighboring states, but not let them get too powerful. They kept down the greater powers of their
strong enemies, and never allowed them to gain any authority. The Romans, foreseeing trouble, would
immediately take action, never letting any resentment breed into revolution.
Throughout
the Prince, Machiavelli provides detailed examples from history. During his life, France had detached itself
from the Roman Catholic Church, which caused the church to rise in power in the
neighboring states of Spain and Italy.
The church then helped the princes of Spain and Italy attack France at
every turn. Machiavelli states the
following, “From this a general rule is drawn
which never or rarely fails: that he who is the cause of another becoming
powerful is ruined; because that predominancy has been brought about either by
astuteness or else by force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised
to power.”
There
are too many examples throughout human history showing this to be a truth. New
leaders distrust those that helped them achieve their goal, for they may very
easily help someone else replace them.
The true genius of Machiavelli was his ability to distill wisdom and
experience down to the bare bones. The
most complex of ideas are shared in a way that allows us, nearly half a millennia
later, to understand the concepts in a rich and subtle manner.
Machiavelli
discusses how and why princes use soldiers and mercenaries. He details why homegrown soldiers are always
preferable, and gives examples of lords and princes whose demise came about due
to their injudicious use of their armies.
For example, a chapter is devoted to the ways that the descendants of Alexander
managed to maintain control of the kingdom taken from Darius after the great
Alexander’s death. Other chapters
explain the difference in holding a kingdom won by one’s own arms and people, a
kingdom won by the use of other’s arms and people, or a kingdom won by
wickedness.
Just
as there are many ways to gain power, there are an equal number of ways to lose
it. Machiavelli goes into great detail
discussing the many issues princes must face and the best ways to handle
them. It is here that many interpreters
and readers seem to misunderstand Machiavelli’s intent. Much like the naturalist who seeks to
describe the life of an apex predator, (and most princes and lords are indeed
apex predators), Machiavelli needs to explain in an unbiased and, to modern
ears, callous manner exactly what works and does not work in maintaining a
kingdom. He is not discussing how to
best be a “good” king.” He is merely expounding
on how to best become, and stay, a king.
A
normal person’s actions may affect a few dozen people, but a prince’s actions
affect whole nations. There is not one
decision that a prince makes that does not injure someone, either by actual physical,
fiduciary, or psychological harm.
Choosing an ambassador, for instance, can grant a person great prestige
and rank, but, to those considered but not chosen for the position, enmity and
hate can and do arise. Deciding to send
aid to an ally can enrage the people of one’s kingdom who are hungry, or desperate. Marrying a princess from one nation can cause
another nation to wage war on you. It is
for these situations, unusual or unknown to the common man, that Machiavelli
applies his wisdom.
A
key chapter discusses whether it is best to be loved or feared as a
leader. Machiavelli does not hold
back. Even though love is the Christian
virtue, and what all men should seek to share and spread amongst each other, a
prince that is loved is in a far more tenuous position than one who is feared. All it takes is one mistake, one error in
judgement, one scandal, and the people whose love was taken for granted can and
do turn on a leader with vehemence. A prince
who is loved has a hard time determining who may be lying or plotting. A prince who is a fair man, but harsh in his
punishments, will come to be feared and respected. The fear comes from an honest place of not
wanting to offend or draw the ire of the prince. The trick for both loved and feared leaders
is to work hard to make certain that the fear or love does not transmute into Hate. A hated prince is in the worst position, for
both his allies and enemies can easily find common ground. There is no safety for a hated prince. If lucky he may just get deposed, but for the
most part, hated leaders end up in tragedy.
They are tortured and killed.
Their families are killed. Their
friends are killed. Those in the government
that worked closely with them are killed.
A hated leader will bring the worst out in humanity.
Machiavelli
clearly states that it is best for a leader to be feared. If not feared, it is better for him to be
loved. These are both abstract and
concrete truths. Machiavelli writes, “…men have less scruple in offending one who
is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of
obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity
for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which
never fails.” Machiavelli was not an
idealist. He understood that man is
driven by need and desire. Most people
do not care who their prince is. They
just want stability and fairness, regardless of who is in power. They will only love you if it is to their
advantage to do so. Princes work by
rules and so do the people. A prince
whose people see as soft or weak will have his wealth and power slowly and
surely eaten away, especially by those closest to him. A feared prince, however, helps maintain a
level of order and place, for a subject must know and accept that they are a
subject, just as a leader must know and accept that they are a leader, and fear
comes with the territory. We all know
parents whose children pay them no mind, who lack the inherent respect a child
should have for their mother or father. Machiavelli
knew that princes see themselves as the father figure for their nation or
kingdom. A smart prince will see that
his children/subjects have a healthy fear and respect of his powers.
Frankly, I could write so much more about this relatively short book. I feel I have just scratched the surface of the countless subjects Machiavelli touches on. There are writers I have come across who use language freely, writing endless pages and chapters, merely to share a wisdom better served through a short, succinct statement. Machiavelli is the exact opposite. He brings so much knowledge, experience, and wisdom to the writing of the Prince that each sentence is loaded with meaning. This is best type of writing. It has survived to be read, studied, and pilloried these many centuries because of its inherent value. Anyone who will rise, or seeks to rise, to a position of power, whether as a leader of a company, city, state, or nation, should read this book carefully. It provides the most sage advice and profound warnings while sharing the best historical precedents. There is no fluff in this work. These doughnuts are all jelly. I highly recommend this to anyone willing to ignore the cult of personality built around Nicolo Machiavelli. It will expand your mind and provide you with a deeper understanding of the politics and power plays we experience today, almost five hundred years after Machiavelli laid it all down in his prison cell, (especially if you have just finished watching the series finale of Succession on the HBO).
(This book can be downloaded and/or read here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm )
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