Machiavellis Views on Leadership- It Is Better to be...

According to Machiavellis view of how to be an effective leader, a ruler should be one who is feared but not hated. Machiavelli states that fear is better than love because love is unreliable. All of the reasons that Machiavelli gives relate to how human nature controls men and drives them to commit crimes in order to reach their goals and satisfy themselves. Before the organization of Italy as a country, it was broken into city-states one of which Machiavelli called home. He was a Florentine and was deeply concerned with how the political governments of Italy worked because the city-states were almost constantly at war with each another. Machiavelli wrote The Prince when the Republic of Florence fell and was replaced by an autocrat†¦show more content†¦A ruler needs to maintain a positive public image and please as many of the population as possible. It is impossible to please everyone whether you are an effective or ineffective ruler, but maintaining the support of the majority of the masses is of paramount concern in being a successful leader. Machiavelli says that a ruler must be a combination of a fox and a lion. A ruler needs to have the cunning mind of a fox but also needs to have the strength of a lion so that he can destroy anyone who opposes him. Machiavelli addresses the topic of whether it is safer to be cruel or loved. He states: Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with (Machiavelli 133-137) He says that it is safer to be feared because the sole purpose of a ruler is to keep order. Machiavelli is not saying that it is necessarily better to be feared, he is saying that it is safer because the peopleShow MoreRelatedMachiavellis The Prince And Plato1417 Words   |  6 Pagesthe subject of leadership. Two main philosophers come to mind when thinking of this topic and they are Machiavelli with his book The Prince and Plato’s dialogue The Republic. The Republic takes a very theoretical point of view on leadership and portrays life as it should be in an ideal state, whereas Machiavelli’s The Prince, takes a more realistic point of view. Machiavelli is less interested with what things should be and is more concerned about how the world is and how a good leader should lead inRead MoreIs It Better to Be Loved or Feared as a Leader?1774 Words   |  7 PagesWhether a leader is feared or loved has been a debated issue by philosophers for many years. 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However, their views of leadership and government do not align. Socrates’ support for free expression and due process makes his view of effective governance far different from Machiavelli’s focus on national securityRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince2212 Words   |  9 Pagesan influential and wealthy family who provided him with meticulous educational training customary for many men of the middle class during the Renaissance period. Young Machiavelli also spent two additional years studying business mathematics. Machiavelli’s education allowed him to spend the next seven years in Rome working for a Florentine banker. After returning to Florence in 1494, he witnessed the removal of the Medici, the Italian bourgeois famil y that ruled Florence and later Tuscany for decadesRead MoreWhat Makes A Leader?1131 Words   |  5 Pages What does it mean to be a leader? What qualities does a leader have? How do you become a good leader? Leader have many qualities that represent a wise person. 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