The Prince

An Essay

Niccolo Machiavelli was a spiritual man. His spirituality was �characterized by the ascendancy of the spirit; showing much refinement of thought and feeling.� He was a realist who saw things as they were and not as they should be. His realistic analysis of history and of how governments operate was the result of his career in the service of the Florentine Republic. There was much change happening in European society in the 14^th and 15^th centuries. The Renaissance had begun in Italy in the 1300�s. Many new ideas were coming into the minds of scientists and artists of the day. Gunpowder was replacing bows and arrows. Astronomy and explorers were proving that the earth was not center of the universe and that it was not flat. Many governments including those of Milan, Ferrara, Rome, Venice and Florence were supporting Art. The face of politics and warfare was changing. Many of the city-states in Italy and other countries were often engaged in open warfare. Machiavelli was appointed Secretary of the Second Chancery. This was a foreign ministry and ministry of defense like office. He was sent on 24 diplomatic missions to Rome, France, and Maximillian I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (r.1493-1519). These diplomatic missions were Machiavelli�s training in the field of statecraft. They ultimately produced the idea that the independence of a state and government rests in the ability of its military to protect the physical boundaries of the country. A loyal military, composed of native troops, was found to be the best defense to protect nations sovereignty. Machiavelli examined the use of mercenaries, auxiliary, or mixed troops. His conclusion was that the use of these troops was as dangerous to those employing them, as it was to the enemy they opposed. Machiavelli reorganized the Florentine army from one composed of mercenaries to that of a military made up of conscripts. It is still true today that indigenous troops have the most to gain or lose in any war. His diplomatic missions provided much insight into the workings of statecraft. Machiavelli's observations on the rise and fall of Cesare Borgia, The Duke of Valentinois, conclude that even with energetic and competent leadership, a prince can still be removed by a combination of enemies and random events. Machiavelli conclusions were set down on paper after the Medici family removed him from office. Italy at this time was composed of five city-states. When one seemed to be gaining power, the other four joined forces to reduce the power of the fifth state. With this constant infighting and open warfare happening, unity, much less peace, was impossible. Without unity among Florence, Naples, Milan, Venice, and the Papal States, a defense of Italy against invasion was impossible. The constant intrigues did not really allow any leader to serve a stable government. This is why Machiavelli was removed and basically exiled to his estate in the countryside. It is there that he composed The Prince. Machiavelli�s life and death after being removed from power are ironic. He served the republican government in Florence from 1498 to 1511. In 1498, Savonarola, a Dominican monk trying to turn the republic into a theocracy, was executed. Before Savonarola�s ascension to power, Lorenzo Medici died in 1492. The French exiled his son Piero after two years. In 1511 the Florentines returned the Medici to power after the appearance of the French. The Medici rulers did not trust Machiavelli. They fired him. He was not permitted to enter the city for a time. The Medici ruled until 1527, when they sacked Rome. The Florentines reinstated the republic and ousted the Medici from power. The ironic result was that the new government did not trust Machiavelli, because they suspected he was a supporter of the Medici. The truth was that Machiavelli was loyal to a republican form of government in Florence. He was concerned with the unification if Italy to prevent foreign incursions. He was in the game until the end. In the introduction of The Prince, Machiavelli states, �And should Your Highness gaze down from the summit of your lofty position towards this humble spot, you will recognize the great and unmerited sufferings inflicted on me by a cruel fate.�² He wanted another position from Lorenzo Medici. The Prince was written to be a gift to the Medici in order for Machiavelli to be returned to favor. Niccolo Machiavelli died in 1527.

The Prince is a study of the science of statecraft. It describes the way a prince can achieve and maintain power. The book contains many ideas for the attainment of a prince�s purpose. They may also be used in other fields such as business, industry, and local government, a circle of friends. The ideas or tenets expressed can be utilized in any situation in which one desires to attain power. A tenet is �...a principle, doctrine, or belief held as truth....�³ There are many tenets expressed in The Prince. They are as valid today as they were in 1527. Machiavelli�s thesis is that ... it is necessary to be a prince to know the nature of the people and the one of the populace to know the nature of princes....⁴ An example of this would be that of President Clintons recent reelection. Clinton is of the baby-boom generation. He thinks like a baby-boomer and used this as one of his tools to be elected on November 5^th. There a many tenets in The Prince. �The first impression one gets of a ruler and his brains are from seeing the men he has around him.�⁵ In other words. You are a reflection of your friends. People do notice and act upon what they learn about a leader and his assistants. �A prince need trouble little about conspiracies when the people are well disposed, but when they are hostile and hold him in hatred, then he must fear everything and everybody�.⁶ What goes around, comes around. It is necessary to learn how not to be good and to use this knowledge and not to use it. This tenet from chapter 15 takes morality out of governing. It is not a matter of good or bad, but of what is necessary and expedient. When it comes to politics and national security, being good can, at times, be a liability. The following tenet from chapter 23 does a lot to protect the power and dignity of a prince, if he uses it. It will also provide an air of mystery about him to the general populace. On flattery, Machiavelli says, �Because there is no other way of guarding one�s self against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect.� It is better to be bold than cautious. The motto of the Special Air Service of the British Army is �Who dares wins�. Being afraid can hold you back just as much as foolish action. Sometimes an act of mercy by a dictator has the effect of ensuring his control, more so, than by swift and violent action. This has the effect of creating a belief in the opposition that they may be spared if they are conquered. As a rule though, it is generally better for a prince to be feared than loved. If a prince is cruel, the people will be afraid to rise against him. The objective of a prince or state is to remain in power. To this end, the end does justify the means. If they fail, the consequences are deserving of the means or crime. A prince should care little for keeping promises and should break faith whenever necessary for the welfare of the state. Most politicians live by this rule. This is true of the private sector, as well as government service. A country�s army should be made up of native troops and not mercenaries or allies. A loyal and indigenous military will ensure the continued independence of a state or prince. If another country comes to your defense, they can dictate the terms under which a prince may govern, if at all. If a prince�s army conquers another, they must disarm them to prevent further harm to themselves. This happened to the U.S. in Somalia. On the subject of alliances, a prince should declare himself a friend or an enemy. If a country sits on the fence too long, other countries will lose respect and act on their own initiative to a prince�s detriment. This goes hand-in-hand with displaying a strong emphasis on foreign and domestic policy. Both are interwoven and the neglect or abuse of one will hurt the other. The conduct and study of war should be the only thought of a prince. A strong military will guarantee a country�s sovereignty. Hitler and Napoleon failed to win the wars at sea. Hence they lost their countries. When they were occupied, the conquerors destroyed them so that they could not seek revenge. As time went on, the Russians found that they could not feed their people at home or in their satellite countries. The stomach does have a better memory than the mind. This is what ultimately destroyed Communism. People need to eat. As it turned out, McDonald�s, Estee Lauder, and Sony were just as important to destroying communism as NATO, the USAF, and Whitehall. The Russian people were hungry for consumer goods and democracy as well as food. Chapter 16 discusses the role of liberality and niggardliness. A prince should not over burden the people with taxes to pay for benefits. He should be able to handle being called a miser. If he provides everything for the people, they will resent this and want more. And the prince will want more from them, including their freedom. In the long run being miserly is in a princes best interest, for it will foster a sense of well being among his subjects. A prince should rely on virtue and act with decisiveness. He cannot rely on fortune to protect him. If a prince does not control events, he will be controlled by them and is doomed. Men do not believe in untried concepts. They are afraid of them. They can change the balance of power. Many are resistant to change because of this. A prince should let his lieutenants do the dirty work while he has the appearance of having clean hands. After, he should remove the lieutenant from power, for he has tasted power and is now a threat to the prince. Some make peace with their enemies until they are in a position to strike with their lieutenant. If the lieutenant was offended before his rise to power, he is already a threat to the prince. A prince may be seen as kind for promoting the lieutenant to do his dirty work, but not as weak when he has him disposed of. Mohammed was an armed prophet, and he did not fail. He conquered Mecca and started Islam. Unarmed prophets fail, and armed ones do not.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher hastened the end of European Socialism and the welfare states of Great Britain, France, and Germany, as well as the rest of Western Europe. When she took over Number 10 Downing Street in May 1979, Great Britain was at the end of the Socialist Era. Unemployment passed two million in October 1980 and the Parliament was divided along party lines including the Liberals, Labour, Conservatives, and the other parties. Decades of social welfare, powerful trade unions and leftists leaning governments had left the British economy in tatters. Thatcher, a conservative, turned the economy from one dominated by trade unions and nationalized companies, such as British Aerospace, British Gas, and British Telecom to one built on free-market principles. This was a realization of fact that since the rest of the world was going to be part of a global economy, and then Britain would have to become competitive. The Asian Tigers of Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan were starting to become competitive. The term global economy was not in wide spread use in 1980. The prime minister did realize that a welfare state would not be able to compete in the 1980�s and she staked her position on it. In April 1982, the Argentines invaded the Falkland Islands and renamed them the Islas Malvinas. At this time, the British military was in a state of low morale. The invasion was what was needed to instill a sense of resolve in the Royal Navy, the army, and the Royal Air Force. To a greater extent, this also applied to England itself. Thatcher resolved to take back the Falklands by force. The Falklands were recaptured in June 1982. The defeat of the Argentines forced the removal of the military junta in control in Buenos Aires. By retaking the Falklands and leaving a permanent garrison based there, the British government ensured its continued control over it colony in the South Atlantic. In her role as head of the British military, Thatcher re-forged the alliance between the United States and Great Britain with President Ronald Reagan. She increased defense spending, updated the military, and entered into various treaties to contain the Soviet Union. She was instrumental in forcing the Russians to sign the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, which removed cruise missiles and intermediate ranged ballistic missiles from Europe. The ultimate result of her defense policies led to the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1989. The Russian government became bankrupt and could not continue to keep up in the arms race between the USA, Great Britain and the West. These are some of the ways in which Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has demonstrated her Machiavellian qualities.

The next Machiavellian to be discussed is William Casey, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency and Ronald Reagan�s campaign chief. He was head of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1971 to 1972. He was an Office of Strategic Services officer in World War 2. As an OSS officer Casey was appointed Chief of the OSS Secretariat in the European Theater of Operations. He ran and organized 102 intelligence missions into Germany. The British Special Operations Executive had cautioned Casey and Bill Donovan, the head of the OSS, that infiltrating Germany in the winter of 1945 was too dangerous. They cautioned that it could not be done. He did not wait for opportune moments to start his intelligence operation. Casey just put the missions together and sent them off. Of the 102 missions sent in, 62 were rated as success, 29 as failures, and 11 as missing in action. Only five percent of the agents became casualties. These intelligence missions saved many Allied lives with the information they provided. By taking action and not relying on events or fortune, Casey provided much needed experience to America�s fledgling intelligence community. The role Casey played in Debategate in 1980 was questioned by the Albosta Committee on how President Carters debate briefing book came to be in the hands of the Reagan campaign. During questioning by the congressional committee, Casey, the director of Reagan�s presidential campaign, developed selective amnesia. He conceded no incriminating information to the committee during testimony in March 1984. However, the committee did unofficially conclude that the Carter campaign papers �...entered the Reagan campaign through its director, Casey.�⁷ He was not charged with any crime and the investigation fizzled away. This did not happen during the Iran-Contra arms for hostage�s hearings. The role that Casey played was that of the man in the background, directing events, who cannot be seen because of the smoke and mirrors. To Casey, the ends did justify the means. The goal was to free American hostages, including CIA Beirut station chief William Buckley, with the sale of arms to Iran with the profits going to support the Contra Rebels in Nicaragua. When Casey was called to testify before congress, he lied. It is possible that Casey�s testimony may have been affected by his lymphoma. He may not have lied intentionally with his mind having been affected by the lymphoma. Or he could have been game to the end. William Casey died on May 6, 1987.

Joseph Stalin was a master at Machiavellianism. In his rise to power, he lied, cheated, and murdered to attain his goals. The axiom, it is better to be feared than loved applied to Stalin. He turned Russia into such a paranoid society that children were informing on their parents, wives on their husbands, and neighbor against neighbor. Denouncing others became normal. If you were not denouncing somebody as an enemy of the state, you were yourself arrested. Stalin built the biggest army the world has ever seen during the Great Patriotic War. He used it to force the Germans back from the suburbs of Moscow to Berlin. And after the Germans were conquered, Germany was raped. Rape was common in 1945 Germany. The country was reduced to rubble. Few prisoners were returned from the Eastern Front. Stalin did not build colonies. In the countries he occupied, large armies were stationed. These drained the Soviet economy. The countries of Eastern Europe had nothing to offer the USSR, so aid had to be extended to them. This further eroded the Soviet economy. Joseph Stalin died in 1953.