The Prince

The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli ★★★★
Machiavelli lived in Firenze, Italy, and wrote this piece in 1513 as observations of politics as seen in the church and in the state. He spares neither the pope nor the regional princes in his comments, though mostly makes comments on the behaviors of rulers in achieving power and maintaining power. Though the word “machiavellian” has sinister connotations of slyness and craftiness, this did not pertain to Machiavelli’s behavior, but simply what he saw happening in Italy up to the year 1513. Machiavelli proposes nothing but does note what behaviors have led to stable empires, and what behaviors have caused ruin to the same. The previous blog contains some quotations from the book, giving one a sense of his writing. Perhaps machiavellian behavior has become the norm in successful politics, though it seems as though much of the solid, non-devious advice of the book goes unheeded in today’s politics. The book is a worthy read and is short enough to be read in 1-2 evenings. I read the book from the Kindle reader on my iPad while on the airplane to Düsseldorf.