Subjects:
official in the Florentine Government. His youth, however, was passed
during some of the most tumultuous years in the history of Florence. He
born the year that Lorenzo the Magnificent came to power, subverting the
traditional civil liberties of Florence while inaugurating a reign of
unrivaled luxury and of great brilliance for the arts. He was twenty-five
at the time of Savonarola’s attempt to establish a theocratic democracy,
although, from the available evidence, he took no part in it. Yet through
his family, he was closer to many of these events than many Florentine
citizens. The Machiavelli family for generations had held public office,
and his father was a jurist and a minor official. Machiavelli himself,
shortly after the execution of Savanarola, became Secretary of the Second
Chancery, which was to make him widely known among his contemporaries as
By virtue of his position Machiavelli served the “Ten of Liberty and
who sent their own ambassadors to foreign powers, transacted business with
the cities of the Florentine domain, and controlled the military
. . .
United
Nations, still stands as testimony to the belief that the closest
definition
of violence is the breakdown of communication. Finally, his efforts bore no fruit when the troops of
Emperor
Charles V sacked Rome. And that is was
through this combination of vices and virtues that the well-being of a
nation rested.
But, having provided a workable background for this man’s work, I seek to
discover whether the laws of the past on the rule of kingdoms still holds
to
the test, or whether it has been replaced, either for good or for temporary
tenure. In reality, the Prince
provided a clear and objective historical perspective on actions that
already were implemented by governments and rulers for many generations. The question of modern times is whether, against the
backdrop of national interests and the concepts of principalities mentioned
so often in this work, has globalization and the decrease in the
sovereignty
of definitive countries and governments made obsolete the personal traits
referred to in the Prince? As Socrates stated, the study of philosophy is
no less an important matter than how we ought to live, so then this work of
Machiavelli would seem to be a matter of how man should govern. The crux of the issue
in Macheavelli’s writings centers on the belief that somewhat heartless and
malevolent rulers are preferred by their people more so than a merciful
leader who fails to provide the domestic tranquility necessary for a good
life in the realm. ” While this may not
be considered the Judeo-Christian methodology of how best to live one’s
life, the similarities between these words and what the population at large
in many countries saw on a daily basis is barely discernable.
On release from his dungeon, Machiavelli with his wife and children,
retired
to a small farm not far from Florence. The issues of liberality and
meanness, cruelty and clemency, integrity, and whether the leader should
aspire to be hated by his subjects are debated and questioned as to their
impact on the population. And as I know
that many have written on this point, I expect I shall be considered
presumptuous in mentioning it again, especially as in discussing it I shall
depart from the methods of other people. His attempts to prove his talents to the new rulers
were ineffectual.
On the subject of cruelty and clemency Machiavelli advocates that all
rulers should strive to be considered clement, but not at the expense of
losing their control of the realm.
During his diplomatic career Machiavelli enjoyed one outstanding success. Then when other countries seek the
same
recognition, India and Pakistan, the rules are changed by the status quo.
Essay's Topics
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