Niccolo Machiavelli - The Prince (1532)
Politics – read via the Kindle app on the iPhone, in April 2011
- 4 nods out of 5 -
Niccolo Machiavelli has had a fair amount of bad press in the past four centuries. Today his very name has become synonymous with unscrupulous cunning, of deception and dishonesty. The Prince, his masterwork that is attached to his enduring legacy, is his layout of governance for any ruler; and by trampling in the dirty dishwater of politics, of what would become known as realpolitik, little favour is given to such machiavellian machinations.
The Prince was written in the early part of the sixteenth century, a tumultuous and exciting time in Italian history. Not yet united – that would come much later in the 1800s – Italy was divided between princedoms and kingdoms, of occupying forces and cultures, from France to Spain. Machiavelli played a decisive role in the city of Florence, as it cast a greater influence over its neighbours, before being invaded by a French army.
After being thrown out of government, Machiavelli appears to have written this treatise as an attempt to cuddle up to the ruling Medici family; but The Prince was of greater innovation and lasting benefit than a simple expediency. In a series of chapters, the author lays out the problems facing a ruling prince and how best to deal with them, from conquering neighbouring territory to examining the qualities that make up a prince. Questions are asked and debated, upon the benefits of ‘criminal virtue’, of gaining the support and respect of the people, and of ‘avoiding flatterers’.
Machiavelli supports his questions and answers with examples of recent history, mostly centring on the rising and ebbing fortunes of the numerous Italian states that surround Florence. Due to an absence of financial flexing and military muscle when compared with the great states of the day like France, it is common sense to assume cities such as Florence had to adapt and implement a range of tactics to merely survive.
The influence of The Prince cannot be doubted, from English kings to Napoleon. It helped lay out the basis of a political philosophy, with the work being used in situations from policing a people to management of upstart workers in an office. And it will continue exerting influence, just as Machiavelli’s name will continue to carry with it less welcome connotations. For readers who wish to climb inside the minds of many of the military geniuses and great statesmen of the past five hundred years, The Prince is a must read; however, it holds little attraction for those who want nothing to do with the sordid deals of Machiavellian politicians.
