A JOURNEY FROM MACHIAVELLI’S PRINCE TO THE US ELECTION RESULTS
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini drew attention for being influenced by Machiavelli’s work. Many scholars believe he used the militaristic stances stated in the Prince as a justification for a fascist Italian government. Joseph Stalin kept a copy of the so-called Prince in his bedside table and added notes extensively to him. It is also stated that Napoleon Bonaparte called “The Prince, the only book worth reading”. He also commented on Machiavelli’s famous quote: “… Prince, recognizing traps must be to be a fox and a lion to scare wolves.’’
The most expected outcome of the last few months has become clear today, and with the announcement of the Senate elections in Georgia, it has become official that Trump will say good-bye (for now). The shortest and most concise result I can put forward by this election that that will change the destiny of not only America but the whole world; ‘Nationalists lost, Globalists won; Religious people lost, Satanists won.’ Do not think that I praise Trump by saying that, but I do not think anyone might have such a devilish future agenda as Kabbalists.
“If you cannot be both, it is better to be feared than loved.” -Prince
The 2020 election in the US has been so speculative for the first time in the last century. In ‘the world’s greatest democratic country!’, the stealing of the votes we are accustomed to in the Eastern countries, the insistence of party representatives from the ballot box during the vote count, and even the manipulation of foreign-based elections have been frequently discussed.
Although I am not very interested in politics, this election process pushed me to reread José Saramago’s “Seeing”. The book briefly describes how weak democracy is and how people in the country respond to democracy, not by not voting, but by going to the ballot boxes and throwing empty votes. This time when I read it, I started researching the term ‘Machieavllian’, which is mentioned several times in the book, and took a break in the middle of the book and bought the Prince, which was already on my reading list, and made notes. In this article, I want to share my notes with you. (I’ll share my thoughts on the book ‘Seeing’ on another blog.)
In order to understand the book of the Prince, which is the bedside book of people like Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin, we need to briefly examine Niccolò Machiavelli’s life and that period.
Machiavelli is one of the highest-ranking government advisers in Renaissance Florence. When the political wind began to blow towards him, then he began to write his book. Machiavelli, who was trying to provide a guide to Medici, one of the aristocrats at the head of the Florentine state, I am sure, did not guess that it would have such a great impact on the heads of states and rulers until today.
Shakespeare used ‘Machiavel’ as a term, and by this he means someone who is scheming, conspiratorial, who can sacrifice people for his evil ends. Despite its notorious reputation in history, I think it is the best expression to evaluate the situations objectively, to put the interests of their state or company, to put forward the interests of their own state or company, to put the interests of their own state or company to the forefront and to deflect anything and everyone that may or may not be a guideline to be a self-conscious, ruthless person. I realized that if I had read this book 4–5 years ago and applied its philosophy, I would not have made many mistakes in my short-term entrepreneurship life. If I need to explain with an example, it may be enough to research the story of McDonald’s, which started with Roy Kroc, even though he is not the founder, but the owner. **
In general, the rules that Machiavelli proposes are simple: an effective prince does what is necessary to ensure the welfare and security of the state, even when what is required includes acting in ways that are often seen as immoral. Machiavelli advises the prince not to run away from effective governance. Machiavelli’s rules cover legislative, executive, military and diplomatic activities. There is no mention of how a prince should manage his personal life. Indeed, Machiavelli gives the impression that there is no such thing for a prince. Instead, Machiavelli states that all of a prince’s time should be devoted to victory for himself by expanding his space and managing him prosperously.
Historical examples in the Prince range from ancient Persia, Greece and Rome in Machiavelli’s time to other parts of Europe. Machiavelli provides examples of both effective and ineffective behavior from each of these time frames. He endeavors to deal with examples that may cause doubts about the universality of his recommendations.
Towards the end of the Prince, Machiavelli focuses his observations and advice on the rulers of Florence. He claims that the Italian princes failed to reign in stability and prosperity because they violated the best practices outlined in his book. They have not followed the examples of great rulers throughout history. Addressing Lorenzo di Piero de ‘Medici and his family, Machiavelli claims that Italy could be made great again if the monarchs only followed the lessons in the Prince.
Machiavelli saw himself as a politician and historian, not a philosopher. However, the Prince offers a fundamental philosophical view: the function of a principality is to perpetuate and defend itself. Everything Machiavelli recommends is based on this assumption.
We can apply whatever he describes as a prince today to a group leader, a company manager, or even the head of a family.
“Never was anything great achieved without danger.”
Stay healthy and alert!
*https://www.dw.com/en/democracy-in-danger-elections-are-easy-to-manipulate/a-45858161
** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/
