“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.” This is my favorite excerpt from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. I believe it represents everything Machiavelli believed in as a political leader. He truly believed that a ruler should be feared by the people. Niccolò Machiavelli was an important figure during the Renaissance Era in Italy. One of his books, The Prince, which is also known as a political treatise, changed the political structure of Italy and influenced many political leaders in history. Even today, Niccolò Machiavelli is still known as the “father of modern political science” mainly because of The Prince.
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was …show more content…
Machiavelli wrote the political treatise as a plea to the Medici family. It was once offered as a gift to the one who sentenced him to torture, Lorenzo de Medici. In the cover of the book, Machiavelli wrote, "Take this little gift in the spirit I send it, and if you read it diligently you will discover in it my urgent wish that you reach the eminence that fortune and your other great qualities promise you." He was hoping to win favor with the Medici family and earn a position in the Republic again (Amelia). Although the offer did not go as he had hoped, many people over time have been influenced by his political …show more content…
Machiavelli summarized what he believed should be the main priorities of a prince or a political leader. The state always came before the people. Machiavelli even said, “Hence it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity” (Kerns). He did not believe that a leader should be honest to the people. He felt that cruelty and war were necessary to maintain power. His quote about how a leader should be feared rather than loved proves just how different his political views were from previous
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was …show more content…
Machiavelli wrote the political treatise as a plea to the Medici family. It was once offered as a gift to the one who sentenced him to torture, Lorenzo de Medici. In the cover of the book, Machiavelli wrote, "Take this little gift in the spirit I send it, and if you read it diligently you will discover in it my urgent wish that you reach the eminence that fortune and your other great qualities promise you." He was hoping to win favor with the Medici family and earn a position in the Republic again (Amelia). Although the offer did not go as he had hoped, many people over time have been influenced by his political …show more content…
Machiavelli summarized what he believed should be the main priorities of a prince or a political leader. The state always came before the people. Machiavelli even said, “Hence it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity” (Kerns). He did not believe that a leader should be honest to the people. He felt that cruelty and war were necessary to maintain power. His quote about how a leader should be feared rather than loved proves just how different his political views were from previous