The Prince, written by Niccolò Machiavelli in 1513, was a book about political power and how to keep it. Machiavelli's general message was that in order to hold power, one must not only lie to his enemies but lie to his own people as well if he must. A ruler must always seem to be honest, benign, and trustworthy even if, in reality, they are not. In addition, if a ruler could choose to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved, then it is much safer to be feared rather than loved since most people will be too afraid to anger a prince that would not hesitate to punish them. Machiavelli also emphasizes that many people will see what you seem to be and only a few will discover what you really are. It is extremely important to always have those positive characteristics around these people. Machiavelli spoke of flatterers as well, saying that the best way to deal with flatterers is to have a council of wise men who the flatterers would speak to. The flatterers would be urged to speak the truth on whatever things are asked. The prince should take advise, but only when he wants it.
             A 20th-century ruler that I think would agree with Machiavelli is Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler seemed to be a very power-hungry ruler as he invaded neighboring European countries. It would seem likely that such a ruler would do whatever possible to gain absolute power of not only his own country but his enemies as well, no matter what the costs. Another ruler that I think would have agreed with Machiavelli is Joseph Stalin. Once he took over the Soviet government, the people were constantly lied to. As conditions started to become worse and poverty began enveloping the country, Stalin would always say in his speeches that conditions were better than they were before the Bolshevik Revolution. Machiavelli suggested that the people be lied to if it is not to the ruler's benefit which I think Stalin would definitely agree with.
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