Niccolo

Machiavelli
MODERN POLITICAL THINKER

Copyright © 2014-2021 Testbook Edu Solutions Pvt. Ltd.: All rights reserved
 Download Testbook

Niccolo Machiavelli
Introduction
Machiavelli born in 1469 in Florence, Italy, was a renaissance thinker who is ardently admired as well as
criticized.
He is praised by Gramsci for separating Politics from Ethics.
He was a more practical Politician rather than a philosopher.
He ushered an era of new ideas which are symbolic of the modern age.

Influences on Machiavelli:
“Machiavelli was the child of his times” – Dunning
“The whole of Renaissance is in Machiavelli.” – Laski
“Machiavelli was narrowly dated and narrowly located.” - Sabine
Following major developments had an impact on his thought:

Renaissance
Renaissance is known as the rebirth of logic. It is the rebirth of civilizational values.
Renaissance revived the spirit of enquiry and humanism which is reflected in Machiavelli.
At the centre of the Renaissance was the emergence of a new man, an ambitious restless individual who is
motivated by his self-interest, seeking glory and fame.

Machiavelli thus made human nature as the centre of his philosophy.

Alongside the development of a modern individual, is the development of a modern state. This idea of
modern state was omnipotent and omnipresent.
Machiavelli’s importance to the ‘Prince’- had to take charge of everything.
Machiavelli understood this dynamics of modern state and modern individual.

Reformation
Reformation resulted in the separation of public and private sphere in the context of religion (Protestant
Movement).
Reformation led to the development of the idea of ‘Secularism’.
Reformation led to the Separation of Church and the State.
This had an influence on the political thought of Machiavelli. And he is known as the Father of European
Secularism.

Breakdown of Feudalism
The old feudal order had begun to collapse and disintegrate, but the new age, marked the emergence of the
territorial nation state as a sovereign legal-political entity was still in the embryonic stage.
MODERN POLITICAL THINKER | Niccolo Machiavelli PAGE 2
 Download Testbook

Machiavelli’s preference of common man over nobles reflects the spirit of his times.

Rise of Nation state

Machiavelli’s concern was that Italy must become a strong nation-state.
Italian unification became a chief objective of Machiavelli.
Machiavelli dreamt of a united, regenerated and glorious Italy.
For this, defense and preservation of the state and people was necessary. Machiavelli’s army of nationals
shows the spirit of his times.

Rise of Capitalism
Machiavelli’s description of human nature as self-centered, materialistic and possessive reflects the
psychology of the emerging bourgeois class.

Works of Machiavelli
Art of war (1521) – It is a classic on theory of war and Military in the west. It explains the relation between war
and politics in Machiavelli’s political thought.

History of Florence (1525) – It talks about the Machiavelli’s work in the city of Florence and the forces which
shaped its history.
The Discourses (1531) – Here Machiavelli has described Republicanism. His criticism of feudal order and
nobility is reflected in his book.
The Prince (1532) – Machiavelli’s book ‘Prince’ is one of the best books written on statecraft (Art of Politics).
He is compared to Chanakya in this regard. Machiavelli in Prince gives advice to the Prince (ruler) about ruling
the states in a realist manner.

Methodology of Machiavelli
Machiavelli is known as the Father of Political Realism.
He is a materialist.
According to Machiavelli, Psychology and History is a better guide to politics rather than Philosophy. He gives a
cyclical view of History.
While in Prince, Machiavelli highlighted the importance of security and unity of state as the primary concern;
In Discourses, he highlights the theme of Liberty and Republicanism.

Political Ideas of Machiavelli:

On Human Nature
Since Prince had to deal with people, he must have the correct information of Human Nature.
This implies that the Prince must know Psychology rather than Philosophy.
According to Machiavelli, history repeats itself and the Human Nature has remained constant throughout
History.

Characteristic Features of human Nature:

Man is selfish, ungrateful, frickle-minded, coward and greedy.

MODERN POLITICAL THINKER | Niccolo Machiavelli PAGE 3

 Download Testbook

Man can forget the loss of his father but will not forget the loss of property.
Machiavelli gives a very pessimistic view on human nature.
According to him, since man is selfish, he will always give priority to his self-interest over the interest of the
Prince.

People will support Prince as long as they that their interest is being served by the Prince.
Prince cannot take people for granted because they are ungrateful by nature and can easily forget favors done
by the Prince.

On Morality
“In Politics, Ends justify Means”.
Machiavelli is known for making a separation between Religion and Politics and Ethics and Politics.
He has established the autonomy of Politics from religion and ethics.

According to him, political actions must be judged by political standards and not by standards of religion and
ethics.
What may be ethically or religiously wrong can be politically correct.
He invents the concept of ‘Dual Morality’. Accordingly, morality of Prince is different from the morality of the
common man.

Common man can sacrifice his life for the sake of his principles, but Prince cannot sacrifice the nation state for
the sake of his principles.
The Morality of the Prince is to ensure the security of the nation and its people.

On Religion
Machiavelli was not against religion, but against the institution of Church.
Church during Machiavelli’s time had become a corrupt institution. He held the church responsible for the lack
of Unification of Italy. He therefore did not want the church to guide the state.
Machiavelli had a Utilitarian attitude towards Religion. He suggests Prince to use religion in the interest of the
nation.

According to him, Religion is a disciplinary force and is helpful to the Prince to govern people.
He even suggests Prince to appear religious in the public even if the prince had no faith in religion. According
to Machiavelli, People like their Prince to be religious.

On State and its Preservation

Machiavelli considered state as the highest association to which the subjects must completely surrender.
According to him, the success or failure of the state can be judged by the prosperity of its subjects.
To him, a successful state was one which was ruled by a single man. He favored Monarchy over aristocracy.

He suggests that the state should have a reliable army comprising native troops instead of depending of
foreign soldiers.

MODERN POLITICAL THINKER | Niccolo Machiavelli PAGE 4

 Download Testbook

He considers republican state as the best form of government. However according to the then prevailing
conditions, Monarchial government was the preferred option.
According to Machiavelli, the state is a secular entity. He subordinated the institution of Church to the state.

Advice on the Amount of Power

“It is better for the Prince to be feared than loved.”
According to Machiavelli, Prince should know the skillful use of both Hard power and Soft power.
Machiavelli prefers hard power as it is more reliable.

Soft power generates good will but good will alone is not sufficient to how that the person does what the
Prince wants him to do. According to Machiavelli, human beings are selfish and ungrateful by nature. They
love at their own convenience, so policy of love is not sufficient.
Prince must capitalize weakness of human nature.
According to Machiavelli, force should not be the first option and should be applied when it becomes
absolutely necessary.

When the Prince decides to use force, he should use it in such a magnitude that the opponent should be
crushed completely.
Prince should not leave anyone to take revenge. Revenge is a powerful sentiment in man. According to
Machiavelli, if revenge dominates reason, man will be willing to take action even at the cost of his own self
interest.

Qualities of Prince
“Prince has to be like a fox and a lion”
Machiavelli is more explicit in suggesting the qualities of a Prince.
According to Machiavelli, Prince should be clever like a fox to understand the traps.
He should be brave like a lion to protect himself from the wolves.

Qualities:
Reason – Fox – Traps
Courage - Lion – Wolves
His advice on the qualities of Prince is based on his assessment of human nature and experiences of History.

On Fortune
Machiavelli explains Fortune as circumstances which are beyond the control of a person.
He has used the word fortune in terms of bad luck (negative sense).
He suggests that even if Prince has all the qualities to be successful, he still can face fortune.
He suggests Prince to face fortune with courage. He compares fortune with women embracing men.

Quotes by Machiavelli
“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must
therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”

MODERN POLITICAL THINKER | Niccolo Machiavelli PAGE 5

 Download Testbook

“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”

“Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.”

“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared
than loved”
“He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command”
“Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves”
“There is no avoiding war, it can only be postponed to the advantage of your enemy.”
“Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony”

Significance of Machiavelli
With Machiavelli, begins a new age in Political thinking. He is known as the Father of Realism. The Realist view
of politics is ‘power view of politics’.
Machiavelli is known as the originator of western concept of Secularism. He called for the strict separation
between religion and Politics.
Machiavelli suggested that for understanding politics, it is more important to know History and Psychology
rather than Ethics and Religion.

He described Law giver as an architect of not only the state, but also of society. Machiavelli attached great
importance to the role of the Lawgiver.
Machiavelli is known as the greatest Patriot and Nationalist among the western scholars.
According to him, neither religion nor Ethics should come in the path of National Interest. He established the
Supremacy of Nationalism over Religion.
He State, Politics is not philosophy, also not Religion, but Management of Power.

MODERN POLITICAL THINKER | Niccolo Machiavelli PAGE 6