Niccolò Machiavelli is best known for his book The Prince, which advises a dictator to be immoral and cruel. According to Machiavelli, all means are allowed to him to preserve and strengthen his rule. Machiavelli was fiercely attacked by the Catholic Church, since he blamed the Christian religion for the weakness of Italy, which in his time was divided and occupied by the foreign armies of France and Spain.
Niccolò Machiavelli is best known for his book The Prince, which advises a dictator to be immoral and cruel. According to Machiavelli, all means are allowed to him to preserve and strengthen his rule.
“The Prince” and “Debates”
At the same time as writing The Prince, Machiavelli wrote a second book, Discourses, which refers to the books of the Roman historian Titus Livius. In the book “Dionim”, translated by Miriam Shusterman-Padubano and edited by Heli Zamora, another face of Machiavelli, the senior diplomat, military secretary, national security advisor of the city of Florence in the years 1512-1498, is revealed. In the book “Discussions” Machiavelli conveys other and sometimes contradictory messages to his more famous book “The Prince”.
The book “Discourses” shows that Machiavelli was not only a political philosopher or an academic historian. He was a senior and experienced diplomat, an expert in foreign and security relations, who wrote his books not only based on studying the history of ancient Rome from the books of Titus Livius, but also based on his rich practical experience in his senior positions as secretary in the Republic of Florence.
This perhaps also explains the influence that Machiavelli had on another senior diplomat, the US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, who adopted Machiavelli’s Realpolitik and the importance of maintaining public order as described for example in his book World Order. Kissinger, who admired Machiavelli, said that in his opinion there is no contradiction between “The Prince” and “Debates” and that in fact the two books complement each other.
On the quest for freedom and the preservation of laws and order
Machiavelli wrote his two books after losing his job as a secretary in the city of Florence out of frustration, not only due to his personal situation but also due to the dismal state of Italy occupied by the foreign armies of France and Spain.
Machiavelli wrote his two books after losing his job as a secretary in the city of Florence out of frustration, not only due to his personal situation but also due to the dismal state of Italy occupied by the foreign armies of France and Spain
Machiavelli was aware of the weakness of Italy at that time, wished for its liberation from the foreign armies and the return of Italy to the days of glory and glory of the Roman Empire. It was clear to Machiavelli that liberation from the foreign armies would not happen in his generation, and he addresses in his books to the members of future generations in the hope that they will have better virtues, stronger than the people of his generation, who in his opinion are weakened by the Christian religion.
According to Machiavelli, the greatness of the city of Rome in ancient times was due to the desire for freedom of the common people and due to the increase in the population of the city which increased the people’s army. This is despite the enmity and power struggles that erupted from time to time between the common people and the noble nobles who were members of the Roman Senate.
Machiavelli condemns the tyranny of the Roman emperors, led by Julius Caesar, who seized power by force, and supported the rule of the people, but one regulated by the laws of the republic, which create a balance of power between the common people, the nobles and the powerful.
The rule of the people is better than the rule of a prince
Machiavelli deals extensively with the power struggles between the commoners and the nobles and reaches an interesting and relevant conclusion, according to which the rule of the people, in which citizens with good virtues act for the common good, for the good of the republic and not for their personal good, is better than the rule of a prince.
Machiavelli deals extensively with the power struggles between the commoners and the nobles and reaches an interesting and relevant conclusion, according to which the rule of the people, in which citizens with good virtues work for the good of the republic and not for their personal benefit, is better than the rule of a prince
Machiavelli writes:
“As far as prudence and stability are concerned, I say that a people is wiser than a prince, more stable and of better judgment. But because a prince who can do as he pleases is mad and a people who can do as he pleases is not wise, if we therefore examine a prince who is bound by laws and a people bound by them, we will see a much better measure in the people than in the prince. If we examine the one and the other freed from the laws, we will see fewer mistakes in the people than in the prince.”
On the importance of the army and the priority of the people’s army
Machiavelli sees the cultivation of the city’s military power as an important and central necessity. A city that does not have a significant military force will not last long. Her enemies will conquer and enslave her. The Roman army was initially composed of the citizens of the city, the people’s army, which was mobilized for war when necessary. That’s why Machiavelli thought that the city should be big and armed so that its army would also be big. He did not support mercenary armies, which a prince can recruit, but would have to finance and maintain his loyalty over time.
On the Roman Empire
Due to the need for a large and armed army to strengthen and preserve the power of the city, the common people, who formed the basis of the people’s army, had a central role and interest in preserving and increasing the power of their city. Therefore, Machiavelli thought that the status of the common people was important for the republic, and that the noble aristocrats and the prince should take care to preserve the balance of power in the city so that it would not be corrupted and then the city would lose its power and be defeated by its enemies.
Due to the need for a large and armed army to strengthen and preserve the power of the city – the common people, who formed the basis of the people’s army, had a central role in preserving and increasing the power of the city. That’s why Machiavelli thought that the status of the common people was important for a republic
According to Machiavelli, the expansion methods of the Roman Empire included increasing the city’s population, subduing enemy cities in lightning wars of several days, and establishing colonies of Roman soldiers in the conquered cities.
The Romans used cunning and deceit, cutting and breaking treaties with rival cities to achieve their goal. For Machiavelli it was justified and even admired and brought glory to the victors. Glory and action for the common good were in his eyes the sublime motive and not the pursuit of wealth.
Machiavelli was a Tuscan, a citizen of Florence, and not a Roman. In ancient times, Rome also conquered Tuscany. Machiavelli looks at the conquests of the Roman Empire with admiration. For him, she is the ideal for a successful republic. But on the other hand, he is also critical of its dictatorial rulers, from Julius Caesar to the emperors who took power in the empire after him, and claims that Rome destroyed other cities with virtues and thus ultimately led to the destruction and disintegration of Italy.
On the Christian religion compared to the Roman religion
Machiavelli writes that the Christian religion educated people to be more patient in this world and expect to be rewarded for their suffering only in the next world. In his opinion, this concept is destructive and weakens the people and was the opposite of the Roman religion, which fostered physical strength and the desire for achievements and glory in this world.
The Romans used cunning and deception, making treaties with rival cities and breaking them to achieve their goal. To Machiavelli this was justified and admirable. Glory and action for the common good were in his eyes the sublime motive
For Machiavelli, action for the common good and glory are the motive that should lead the people and their princes. Peoples or princes who did not behave this way and acted in their own interest were perceived by Machiavelli as corrupt.
2022 election
So what is the connection between the other faces of Machiavelli that are revealed in his book “Debates” and the 2022 elections? The connection to the elections is the desire for freedom, good laws, virtues, a balanced and regulated government between the people and the powerful, as opposed to the dictatorial rule of a prince who strives to destroy the rule of law and public order for his personal benefit.
Machiavelli understood this, and Samuel the prophet had already warned against the queen of a king over Israel. Machiavelli writes that a prince will take care of himself first and make more mistakes than the people when good laws are regulated in a republic.
You should learn from the experience of others and not endanger the existence of the State of Israel by electing a prince. Even the mighty Roman Empire finally fell due to the takeover of emperors who created governmental and public disorder.