How Did Machiavelli Influence Leaders

Niccolo Machiavelli influences rulers and leaders throughout history such as Otto Von Bismarck, King Henry VIII, and Adolf Hitler. In Machiavelli's book The Prince he gives political advice on how to ruler and govern their land and to gain power. He says it's better to be cruel than merciful and that it's better to be stingy than generous. Bismarck, Henry VIII, and Hitler follow his advice on how to be a good ruler.
Niccolo Machiavelli was a diplomat and writer who was born on May 3, 1469 and died June 21, 1527 in Florence, Italy. He was the “Father of Modern Political Theory.” In the government of the republic, Machiavelli had an important position which was like the secretary of state. The Florentine militia he organized didn’t do so well. It was defeated in 1512 by mercenary troops fighting for Spain. Medici rule was restored. Machiavelli lost his position in government and was imprisoned and tortured. Then he retired and lived on the countryside. In 1513, Machiavelli wrote two important books, The Prince and Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy. The Prince is a handbook for politicians. It was to teach them how be a great ruler and how to do be ruthless yet smart about it. Later in life he wrote plays and poems. Niccolo was influenced by many other such as Aristotle, Plato, Leonardo Da Vinci, and …show more content…
What bismarck did was very Machiavellian. He worked in the same ways Machiavelli explained his book The Prince. In the The Prince it says “It is better to be stingy than generous”. Bismarck wanted every piece of land under his power. It shows how bismarck was very stingy and wanting all the germanic land with going through anything to get it. Bismarck was ingenious and manipulative. Bismarck's unification process was very machiavellian. The most Machiavellian thing that he did was when he provoked the French so that Britain would not intervene and isolating Austria's enemies. What he did was smart and clever.