The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli and how History Continues to Repeat Itself!

“Either you are already a Prince or you seek to become one, and in the former case liberality is hurtful, and in the latter it is very necessary that you be thought liberal.”

“I come to the case of the leading citizen who not by crimes or violence but by favor of his fellow citizens is made Prince of his country. This may be called a Civil Princedom and its attainment depends not wholly on merit, not wholly on good fortune, but rather on what may be termed a ‘fortunate astuteness.’ The road to every Princedom lies either through the favor of the people or of the ‘elites*’, for in every city are to be found these two opposed temperaments having their origin in this that the people desire not to be domineered over or oppressed by the ‘elite’, while the ‘elite’ desire to oppress and domineer over the people.”

* Elite: Having a privileged status percieved as being envied by others of a lower line of order. The key word is percieved, mostly by the elites, of their station in life. This includes philosophers, educators, purveyors of news, celebrities and politicians …..

In new Princedoms difficulties abound:

“If he wants to maintain his reputation for liberality the Prince will burden his subjects with extraordinary taxes and resort to confiscations and all the other means whereby money is raised. But in this way he becomes hateful to his subjects and growing impoverished is held in little esteem by any. So that in the end having by his liberality offended many and obliged few, he is worse off than when he began.”

“In favor of the Prince is that men want to better their condition, and are always ready to change masters, and in this expectation will deceive themselves and find afterwards by experience that they are worse off than before.”

“The Prince cannot keep the friendship of those who helped him to gain the Princedom since he cannot reward them as they expect. The very people who opened the gates, when they find themselves deceived in their expectations and hopes of future benefits, will not put up with the insolence of their new ruler.”

“They who from a private station become Princes by mere good fortune do so with little trouble but have much trouble to maintain themselves. They meet with no hindrance on their way, but all their difficulties overtake them when they alight. Such Princes are wholly dependent on the favor and fortunes of those who have made them great or secure. They lack the knowledge and the power that would enable them to maintain their position, because unless they have great parts and force of character it is not to be expected that having always lived in a private station they should have learned how to command.”

All of these ideas are mute in a Republic: “In a Republic there is a stronger vitality, a fiercer hatred, a keener thirst for revenge. The memory of their former freedom will not let the people rest, so that the safest course is either to destroy them or go to live with them.”

Translation:

When you become Prince you already have angered the population of the Princedom who favored another, and the others in the population that stood beside you in acquiring the Princedom will eventually be disappointed as you will not be able to give them what you promised.

Question:

Why would anyone want the job?