The Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli
Review by Christy Jean Gempisaw
“The Prince” in its entirety, deals with political power. Eventually, the Prince's content are not general rules of politics that can be recognized and applied in our times. The great question with which the book is concerned is: how a prince may establish and maintain political power and the strongest possible government. When we speak of The Prince, we can point out that the most recognizable concepts in Niccolo Machiavelli's book are the concepts of principalities and one rule of grabbing power phrased as “the end justifies the means”.
According to Machiavelli, “all states, all powers that held and hold rule over men have been and are either republics or principalities”, In explaining the topics of principalities, Machiavelli stated its kinds and specific means as to how these states are to be acquired and governed. He listed four types of principalities which are the hereditary principalities which are inherited by the ruler, Mixed principalities which are territories that are annexed to the ruler's existing territories, new principalities, which may be acquired by several methods: by one's own power, by the power of others, by criminal acts or extreme cruelty, or by the will of the people and lastly the Ecclesiastical principalities, namely the Papal States belonging to the Catholic church. Basically, we can come up into a conclusion that that the contents of this book pertains to control. A person cannot cannot exercise political power over his people without possessing control over them.
Machiavelli also recommended some characters and behavior that the prince must acquire. Some of those characters are; It is better to be stingy than generous, It is better to be cruel than merciful, It is better to break promises if keeping them would be against one's interests, Princes must avoid making themselves hated and despised; the goodwill of the people is a better defense than any fortress, Princes should undertake great projects to enhance their reputation and Princes should choose wise advisors and avoid flatterers. The Prince can be said as an analysis of the context of history. One can conclude that Niccolo Machiavelli's intention in stating some aspects of political figures was to exemplify these rules and to address its applicability.
The Prince is an extended analysis on how to acquire and maintain political power. The study of political power has been in existence since leaders and rulers exercised their authority and dominion over their subjects. Some wanted to be in the highest position for as long as they live and became dictators, while some did relinquish their power in favor to the existing public demand and collective consciousness of all the people of a particular state. While the book brings a big contribution to the literature of politics, its ideas, mostly, can be considered impractical for application in modern days in which people are trying to bridge the great divides between countries, ideals, cultures, and different government systems.
According to Machiavelli, “all states, all powers that held and hold rule over men have been and are either republics or principalities”, In explaining the topics of principalities, Machiavelli stated its kinds and specific means as to how these states are to be acquired and governed. He listed four types of principalities which are the hereditary principalities which are inherited by the ruler, Mixed principalities which are territories that are annexed to the ruler's existing territories, new principalities, which may be acquired by several methods: by one's own power, by the power of others, by criminal acts or extreme cruelty, or by the will of the people and lastly the Ecclesiastical principalities, namely the Papal States belonging to the Catholic church. Basically, we can come up into a conclusion that that the contents of this book pertains to control. A person cannot cannot exercise political power over his people without possessing control over them.
Machiavelli also recommended some characters and behavior that the prince must acquire. Some of those characters are; It is better to be stingy than generous, It is better to be cruel than merciful, It is better to break promises if keeping them would be against one's interests, Princes must avoid making themselves hated and despised; the goodwill of the people is a better defense than any fortress, Princes should undertake great projects to enhance their reputation and Princes should choose wise advisors and avoid flatterers. The Prince can be said as an analysis of the context of history. One can conclude that Niccolo Machiavelli's intention in stating some aspects of political figures was to exemplify these rules and to address its applicability.
The Prince is an extended analysis on how to acquire and maintain political power. The study of political power has been in existence since leaders and rulers exercised their authority and dominion over their subjects. Some wanted to be in the highest position for as long as they live and became dictators, while some did relinquish their power in favor to the existing public demand and collective consciousness of all the people of a particular state. While the book brings a big contribution to the literature of politics, its ideas, mostly, can be considered impractical for application in modern days in which people are trying to bridge the great divides between countries, ideals, cultures, and different government systems.