Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in chapter 15 of his famous work, The Prince that “it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge” (Machiavelli, The Prince, 48). Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of being crafty and the necessity of being violent. He makes it clear that in order to be a successful ruler, one does not always have to be good; moreover, one should not be good all the time. A ruler can only succeed, Machiavelli notes, when he masters the art of administering cruelty when the circumstances deem necessary. The late nineteenth century and early twentieth century political scientist Max Weber, however,
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The best way a ruler can do to prevent hatred from growing among the populace, which Machiavelli believes should be the ruler’s greatest fear, is to restore peace as soon as possible after the acquisition. Machiavelli is convinced that cruelty is necessary to keep an army united and that “a ruler ought not to mind the disgrace of being called cruel, if he keeps his subjects peaceful and law-abiding,” therefore Machiavelli is encouraging the ruler to do whatever it takes, no matter how cruel it may seem, to establish peace (Machiavelli, The Prince, 51-52). Machiavelli later uses Agathocles to support his point. He commended Agathocles for working hard to gain power and to hold on to that hard-fought power by “bold and risky tactics” (Machiavelli, The Prince, 28). At this point, however, Machiavelli draws a distinction between power and glory. He recognizes that some of Agathocles’ behaviors, such as massacring one’s citizens and betraying one’s friend did not bring him glory, but nonetheless, Machiavelli continues to praise his use of power and his accomplishments (Machiavelli, The Prince, …show more content…
He states that “people are by nature inconstant”, and therefore, the support and allegiance they promised the ruler will change when their personal interests are at stake (Machiavelli, The Prince, 20). As a result, Machiavelli urges the ruler to employ violence against the people in order to achieve what he wants. Machiavelli boldly claims that it is “safer to be feared than loved” because men are wicked, selfish, and cannot be trusted (Machiavelli, The Prince, 51). It is more suitable that the people should fear the ruler and instead of love him because “men are less nervous of offending someone who makes himself lovable, than someone who makes himself frightening,” and that since fear of punishment has the power to keep the citizens’ behaviors in check, the ruler has a greater chance of achieving what he wants if he makes himself fearful (Machiavelli, The Prince, 53). Since not all people that the ruler encounters are virtuous and ethical, it is to the ruler’s advantage to be cruel in order to pursue his interests (Machiavelli, The Prince,
The best way a ruler can do to prevent hatred from growing among the populace, which Machiavelli believes should be the ruler’s greatest fear, is to restore peace as soon as possible after the acquisition. Machiavelli is convinced that cruelty is necessary to keep an army united and that “a ruler ought not to mind the disgrace of being called cruel, if he keeps his subjects peaceful and law-abiding,” therefore Machiavelli is encouraging the ruler to do whatever it takes, no matter how cruel it may seem, to establish peace (Machiavelli, The Prince, 51-52). Machiavelli later uses Agathocles to support his point. He commended Agathocles for working hard to gain power and to hold on to that hard-fought power by “bold and risky tactics” (Machiavelli, The Prince, 28). At this point, however, Machiavelli draws a distinction between power and glory. He recognizes that some of Agathocles’ behaviors, such as massacring one’s citizens and betraying one’s friend did not bring him glory, but nonetheless, Machiavelli continues to praise his use of power and his accomplishments (Machiavelli, The Prince, …show more content…
He states that “people are by nature inconstant”, and therefore, the support and allegiance they promised the ruler will change when their personal interests are at stake (Machiavelli, The Prince, 20). As a result, Machiavelli urges the ruler to employ violence against the people in order to achieve what he wants. Machiavelli boldly claims that it is “safer to be feared than loved” because men are wicked, selfish, and cannot be trusted (Machiavelli, The Prince, 51). It is more suitable that the people should fear the ruler and instead of love him because “men are less nervous of offending someone who makes himself lovable, than someone who makes himself frightening,” and that since fear of punishment has the power to keep the citizens’ behaviors in check, the ruler has a greater chance of achieving what he wants if he makes himself fearful (Machiavelli, The Prince, 53). Since not all people that the ruler encounters are virtuous and ethical, it is to the ruler’s advantage to be cruel in order to pursue his interests (Machiavelli, The Prince,