Lecture Twenty-Four Machiavelli, The Prince

Lecturer: Wu Shiyu

Theme of government and justice: It discusses one of the most influential figures in history, Machiavelli, and his great work, Il Principe.

A. Il Principe is generally translated as “The Prince,” but a better translation would be “The Leader.”

B. Machiavelli’s “il principe” is a leader, and the book is about power.

III. Socrates was influential because he laid the foundation for the intellectual framework that we call the ideal of the university; Jesus laid the foundation for Christianity, and Confucius laid the framework for the civilization of China. Machiavelli did not transform people’s thinking—he described people as they were. The lessons of Machiavelli are written throughout history.

A. Machiavelli believed that power is what people want and that people will do anything to obtain it.

B. Machiavelli would say that the teachings of Socrates, Jesus, and Confucius are fine intellectually, but people do not actually behave that way. He would rewrite the Golden Rule as: “Do others in before they do you in.” He believed that in the real world, an individual must live by the clear rules of power.

C. Hitler said that The Prince was the most influential work he had ever read and that he often turned to it for guidance.

IV. Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469 and died in 1527.

A. Machiavelli lived during the time of the Renaissance in Italy. Florence was a free republic that valued its autonomy, liberty, and democratic form of government.

B. Machiavelli came from a family of some distinction. He received a good education, which focused on Latin classics. He came to believe that history could be used as a tool to understand the present.

C. Machiavelli entered bureaucratic service and rose rapidly, becoming a trusted agent of the republic of Florence. He went on diplomatic missions and traveled widely.

D. He was known for writing clear reports on his diplomatic activities, and in these reports, he mastered the Italian language. Although erudite books were commonly written in Latin in the 15th century, Machiavelli understood that the Italian language was a powerful vehicle.

E. Machiavelli sharpened his understanding of how politics works, how politicians operate, and what matters to them.

F. In 1512, a sudden change occurred in the politics of Florence. The mercenary armies of Pope Julius II conquered Florence, the Florentine government was forced to give up its republican constitution, and the de’Medici family was reinstated in a dictatorship.

G. Machiavelli was falsely accused of malfeasance, convicted of these trumped up charges, removed from political affairs, and banished to his small family farm, where he returned to studying. He began a “dialogue” with the men of the past and, from them, learned the truth about power and politics. He also wrote and completed a set of commentaries on Livy.

H. In The Prince, a small book, Machiavelli distilled all the lessons from his studies. He dedicated the work to the de’Medici family in hopes of being given a position in the new government; however, The Prince was too dangerous and told the truth too openly.

V. The theme of The Prince is power—how to get it and how to keep it. An individual can learn how to obtain and maintain power through the lessons of history—both immediate history and the histories of Greece and Rome.

A. The first decision that the individual must make is whether he really wants power, because a person who does not truly desire power should stay out of that arena. Those who seek power must be willing to do whatever is necessary to obtain it.

B. Those who seek power must understand what they want power over, the vehicles for exercising power, and the steps to maintaining power.

C. In this step-by-step instruction book for being a dictator, an important step is knowing what one wants to be a dictator of. A dictatorship, by its character, must be a monarchy, ruled by one person. The three types of monarchies are hereditary monarchies; mixed monarchies, in which the monarch expands an existing hereditary monarchy; and newly won monarchies that the monarch rules by himself as an innovator.

1. A hereditary monarchy is the easiest kind to rule. The would-be dictator should not introduce innovations, because they cause trouble. Change is an implicit criticism of what has gone before. Further, people do not really want innovation.

2. A mixed monarchy can evolve from merger or expansion. The monarch must avoid innovation in the existing territory but move ruthlessly to remove any possible danger in the new regions that have been conquered. This leader must be a shrewd judge of character to determine which people will truly support him and reward those who do so. All opponents must be removed early in the rule. People must be well treated or destroyed.

3. New monarchies are rare. Historical examples include those established by Moses, who created the people of Israel, and by Cyrus, who created the nation of Persia. The leader of this monarchy must be a warrior. A peace-loving ruler who attempts reform will get into trouble.

D. The person who wants to rule must have an army. A professional army is not loyal; its soldiers serve only for money, and the leaders are interested in protecting their investment, that is, their men. A militia of citizen solders will provide an army that is loyal to the ruler.

VI. Machiavelli also describes the rules for maintaining power.

A. The dictator does not want power so that he can do good things. He wants power for its own sake.

B. The leader must possess several characteristics.

1. He must be cunning, not wise. For the leader, understanding people and how they behave is worth all the lessons and philosophy in the world. The leader is not searching for ultimate truth; he is searching for what works.

2. The leader must be stingy. Machiavelli believed that if Caesar had truly been a good leader, he would have killed all who had opposed him at Pharsalus. Machiavelli believed that Caesar was too lavish in gifts to the Roman people. The generous leader will ruin himself financially and will be unable to procure the means to maintain power. Power is about force and the money to buy that force and sustain it.

3. The leader must be cruel. Being hated and feared is better than being loved. People will not come to the aid of a loved leader unless it is convenient for them. If they fear the leader, they will come to his aid. The only way to make people fearful is by cruelty.

4. The ability to lie is a key to success. The leader should never keep a promise unless it is convenient. He should say whatever is expedient at the moment, then do as he pleases.

C. The selection of immediate supporters is also important. They must be capable, loyal, and under the leader’s control. The followers must be flatterers, but the leader must be able to judge this flattery. Anyone who contradicts the leader in public or gives a frank opinion in public must be removed.

D. In giving examples, Machiavelli focuses on mediocrities.

1. Septimius Severus was emperor of Rome from 193 to 211 A.D. He was a man of mediocre ability, but he rose to power in Rome, held that power for 18 years, passed it to his son, and died in his old age. He accomplished this feat by recognizing his limitations and by practicing the qualities that Machiavelli cites. Septimius Severus was stingy, deceitful, cruel, and able to sniff out a threat.

2. Perhaps the most successful practitioner of the precepts of Machiavelli in the 20th century was Stalin. Stalin transformed his country into an atomic power and led it to victory in World War II, using cruelty and shrewdness. Trotsky, an opponent of Stalin, said, “Joseph Stalin is a mediocrity, but he is not a nonentity.”

谢 谢！