In trying to make leaders stronger and more effective, many writers have offered counseling for their leaders. Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince is an instruction manual for princes and kings. After he wrote The Prince many believed that not following this guide would lead to a king or prince's downfall. King George III of Great Britain did not follow Machiavelli's manual and thus caused the breakdown of his empire. The Prince, is one of the first examinations of politics and science from a purely scientific and rational perspective.
Machiavelli was a very smart man. He was always aware of the events going on in the world and an astounding historian. His observations in chapter III apply well with modern day America. He takes some tips from the Romans, stating that a Prince should "colonize, protect lesser powers without increasing their strength, reduce strong and threatening powers, do not let foreign powers gain footing in neigrabroadoring areas"(38). America has accomplished a lot of these tasks; perhaps that is why we are one of the world's super powers. We colonized the North American continent, we've protected our allies yet we don't give them much power, reduced the strong nations and threatening powers (Milosevic, Sadam, and Yeltsin), and we invaded many islanRAB in the Pacific as strategic military positions. The Aleutian IslanRAB are a major acquisition for the United States. For if we didn't occupy those, Russia would have them and they could invade from the north.
However I disagree with Machiavelli on the subject of warfare. In chapter XIV, Machiavelli says, "a prince's main objective and profession must be warfare"(81). A lot of things can be settled without blooRABhed and violence. In the modern world, war is an extremely scary thing, especially with all the nuclear and biochem technology. I believe a "prince's" main objective and profession is to take care of his people and govern his land with justice, honesty, and respect. He must always strive to become allies with other countries and befriend countries that are his enemies. War is not necessary in order to gain domain. If you are allies, then your people are welcome to other countries. And we should not emulate the great battle leaders of the past, we would then be following the example set by Hitler, Stalin, and Rommel.
There is a bit of irony compared between modern day and the renaissance. In chapter XVII, Machiavelli is explaining that you can fight by means of law or by means of force. A leader should be both human and beastial so as to provide himself with more options for any course of action. I haven't gotten to the ironic part yet. Let us use this statement for our current leader Bill Clinton. A "prince" does not have to be morally ideal; he must simply project that ideal to the masses. Obviously, our "prince" isn't morally ideal, yet he projects the masses that we be loyal in our families, etc.
Machiavelli theorizes that the state is only created if the people cooperate and work to maintain it. The state is also one of man's greatest endeavors, and the state takes precedence over everything else. The state should be one's primary focus, and maintaining the sovereignty of the state one's most vital concern. The United States has done extremely well with this theory. We have a very strong union of states, which are governed in an orderly fashion. The state is founded on the power of its military. Therefore, a strong military is vital to maintaining the state. That is how the United States has gained a lot of its power. Through their military campaigns within the World Wars and others, we've gained valuable land and key military positions as I mentioned earlier.
The Prince has been an incredibly important book. Although it was written in the 1500's, much of it still applies today. The book also has influenced many people in history. I was able to apply most of Machiavelli's theories and thoughts on politics and government to today in the modern world. Although I disagree with a lot of his theories, the truth is Machiavelli is only being honest with what he has observed consistently in history to be true.
Machiavelli was a very smart man. He was always aware of the events going on in the world and an astounding historian. His observations in chapter III apply well with modern day America. He takes some tips from the Romans, stating that a Prince should "colonize, protect lesser powers without increasing their strength, reduce strong and threatening powers, do not let foreign powers gain footing in neigrabroadoring areas"(38). America has accomplished a lot of these tasks; perhaps that is why we are one of the world's super powers. We colonized the North American continent, we've protected our allies yet we don't give them much power, reduced the strong nations and threatening powers (Milosevic, Sadam, and Yeltsin), and we invaded many islanRAB in the Pacific as strategic military positions. The Aleutian IslanRAB are a major acquisition for the United States. For if we didn't occupy those, Russia would have them and they could invade from the north.
However I disagree with Machiavelli on the subject of warfare. In chapter XIV, Machiavelli says, "a prince's main objective and profession must be warfare"(81). A lot of things can be settled without blooRABhed and violence. In the modern world, war is an extremely scary thing, especially with all the nuclear and biochem technology. I believe a "prince's" main objective and profession is to take care of his people and govern his land with justice, honesty, and respect. He must always strive to become allies with other countries and befriend countries that are his enemies. War is not necessary in order to gain domain. If you are allies, then your people are welcome to other countries. And we should not emulate the great battle leaders of the past, we would then be following the example set by Hitler, Stalin, and Rommel.
There is a bit of irony compared between modern day and the renaissance. In chapter XVII, Machiavelli is explaining that you can fight by means of law or by means of force. A leader should be both human and beastial so as to provide himself with more options for any course of action. I haven't gotten to the ironic part yet. Let us use this statement for our current leader Bill Clinton. A "prince" does not have to be morally ideal; he must simply project that ideal to the masses. Obviously, our "prince" isn't morally ideal, yet he projects the masses that we be loyal in our families, etc.
Machiavelli theorizes that the state is only created if the people cooperate and work to maintain it. The state is also one of man's greatest endeavors, and the state takes precedence over everything else. The state should be one's primary focus, and maintaining the sovereignty of the state one's most vital concern. The United States has done extremely well with this theory. We have a very strong union of states, which are governed in an orderly fashion. The state is founded on the power of its military. Therefore, a strong military is vital to maintaining the state. That is how the United States has gained a lot of its power. Through their military campaigns within the World Wars and others, we've gained valuable land and key military positions as I mentioned earlier.
The Prince has been an incredibly important book. Although it was written in the 1500's, much of it still applies today. The book also has influenced many people in history. I was able to apply most of Machiavelli's theories and thoughts on politics and government to today in the modern world. Although I disagree with a lot of his theories, the truth is Machiavelli is only being honest with what he has observed consistently in history to be true.