Machiavelli’s Views on Government Essay - 648 Words

At first glance Machiavelli’s writings could be mistaken for evil and satanic beliefs, but in reality there are many good underlying points as to how to rule a nation. I believe that the New Yorker’s description of Machiavelli is the best example of his life and beliefs, because it not only touches upon the high points, but the low points of beliefs as well. The New Yorker goes into great detail about how Machiavelli came up from a mid level family to achieve a role as a government official/ â€Å"ambassador† just to be thrown in prison after years of trying to stabilize and unify an unstable country through means of war and fear. Machiavelli wasn’t only a government official he was a strategic genius, but only because as ambassador he had†¦show more content†¦For example, Machiavelli wrote about the young leader Borgia who conquered many nations in the name of Spain. He explained how it was necessary for â€Å"a prince†¦ to work against wha t is merciful, loyal, humane, upright, and scrupulous.†. This makes a ruler look bad, however in reality what the ruler does make a ruler look bad may improve the quality of the nations he is conquering and ruling. Machiavelli wrote that Borgia conquered many nations, but these nations had weak rulers, who had let the nations become over run with crime and filth, but once conquered by Borgia and his men were brought up to a good quality standard with less crime and more peace and order, due to the enforcement of Spanish law. That is why Machiavelli’s misconceived writings were actually meant to show that even though a ruler may look bad in people’s eyes, his actions actually create good within the nations he controls. A more recent example of a leader who would fit under Machiavelli’s theory was Adolf Hitler. Hitler was an extremist whose views should never be tolerated, but in reality he had helped his people get out of an economic depression and improve d the quality of life for many Germans. What Machiavelli is trying to imply is to be a good leader isn’t to be the most well liked person, but to get results that improve people’s lives even if you have to be seen in a negative light. I doShow MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast Socrates And Machiavelli1419 Words   |  6 Pagesin regard to the concept of truth, Socrates would hate Machiavelli’s model prince due to Machiavelli’s manipulative view of truth. While Socrates desired a state that focuses on fundamental truth and ethical decisions, Machiavelli advocated a state led by a pragmatic, logical, and even cruel decision maker. 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