Machiavelli's Prince

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on Machiavelli's concept of the "new prince" as outlined in his book, "The Prince," as well as his relationship with the people. The paper contends that the book is regarded by most people as a sinister guideline for power-hungry politicians, which teaches political immorality. Others consider it an important treatise on political science that gives an accurate insight into the working of the human mind and a realistic appraisal of how to effectively govern the 16th century Italian city states.

From the Paper:

"According to Machiavelli there can be two types of rulers of a principality : the hereditary prince or the new prince. The hereditary prince, as the name suggests, inherits family rule of a principality and has a relatively easier time of ruling the territory since most people readily accept his rule as a continuation of the previous ruler and he does not have to change the existing policies. The new prince is the one who acquires new principalities through military or civil means, and finds it much harder to govern and retain control of the territories under his rule. Machiavelli's concept of a prince and most of his advice in The Prince is mainly directed at such a "new prince.""

More papers on Machiavelli's Prince:

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• Essay # 83636 : "Prince, Tyrant and Niccolo Machiavelli"
• Essay # 73569 : "Machiavelli's "The Prince"

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