Tyranny in "The Prince"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines two important aspects of Machiavelli's "The Prince": The characteristics of the Prince and the kind of society he will rule and the permissiveness of tyranny in making society secure from foreign invasion and rule. The author points out that Machiavelli's "The Prince" illustrates how tyranny can be functional, instead of detrimental, to ensure peace and stability within society, especially in the context of 16th century Western governance. The paper relates that "The Prince" has become a useful historical document that mirrors the life and times of 16th century Italian politics and society, and humanity's eternal pursuit for an effective leader and stable society.

From the Paper:

"Going further into his analysis of the socio-political movements in his country, Machiavelli's observation includes an analyses of the qualities of the leaders or "princes" who were not able to sustain their leadership and government. In chapter XXIV ("Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost their States"), he explains that these leaders have been "defective" some of them either had the people against them, or they have not known how to secure themselves against their nobles". Furthermore, in this section, while Machiavelli attributes Fortune as one of the motivating forces that determine a leader's success in governance, the leader's skills and influence to the people, in large part, determines the success or failure of the Prince. Thus, in effect, he asserts, "I think it may be the case that Fortune is the mistress of one half of our actions, and yet leaves the control of the other half, or a little less, to ourselves.""

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