Machiavelli's The Prince - A summary
Aug. 8th, 2008 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
botiasI am writing a self-interested, power-hungry character. Someone who's swimming with the sharks , so to speak. What better research than to read Machiavelli, thought I?
I love Machiavelli, he's smooth, powerful and fascinating—rather like a shark. Conclusion: Prince Lotor is a Bad Prince. He is likely to be overthrown, and indeed that is what happens to him on the show.
Dedicatory Letter:
Machiavelli sucks up to the "Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici". Don't be afraid to suck up to the right people.
Chapter I
There are two kinds of states: republics and princedoms. Only princedoms will be discussed in The Prince. Princedoms are either controlled by a hereditary ruler or are new. The new ones are either completely new, as when a mercenary captain makes a successful coup, or they are 'new to you' as when a prince adds to his hereditary state. These new princedoms are either used to living under a prince or they are used to being free. They are acquired either with one's own military force or with the use of someone else's; further they may have been acquired through being in the right place at the right time OR by extraordinary cunning, courage, prudence and a willingness to be quite nasty when necessary, all in the service of acquisition--qualities hereafter to be collectively referred to as 'virtue'. (heh)
Chapter II
Hereditary princes have an easy time of it because the people are used to his rule and, unless his vices are nasty enough to make him hated, the subjects are going to like him a lot better than you. If you conquer, and then screw up at all, the people are going to slap the hereditary prince right back on the throne, a little something you should keep in mind.
Chapter III
Regarding 'new to you' princedoms. Prepare to be hated. Embrace it. Then kill or imprison the people that hate you. It is the nature of people to want to change one prince for another, hoping to do better. These 'grass is greener' types are useful, in fact they are absolutely necessary. No matter how strong your army is you cannot conquer a princedom that is not betrayed from within.
To get back to the hate: the fence jumpers will always be disappointed by your rule. So, the people that didn't sign up to be conquered will hate you, and shortly after so will the people that opened the gates for you when their Shangri-la doesn't materialize. If you wish to keep your new princedom, you must be prepared to ignore that understandable, yet deadly, sense of obligation toward those who put you in power. Be prepared to get very nasty with them at the first sign of dissatisfaction. You can bet the guy 'formerly known as prince' sure wishes that he did that when he had the chance. Don't become a 'formerly known as'. Squash those malcontents hard and fast.
If your new princedom happens to have the same language and general customs as your others, you have only two jobs: 1) to eliminate the blood line of the former prince, and 2) do absolutely nothing else. OK that's one job. As long as you keep the taxes and laws the same, the people won't care who's prince. Sad but true.
What if your shiny new acquisition has a different language and culture than the rest of your princedom? Wow. I don't care how shiny it is; it's a real fixer-upper. What's worse, you may have to live in it while it is being worked on. There's really no other way to deal with uprisings as soon as they arise. If you're off-site, you won't hear about it until it's a war, and frankly, then it's kinda too late: you're back at square one. Also, if you live there, your officials obviously can't loot the place while you're absent; the subjects are more satisfied, having greater access to you, and are more like to love you if they are inclined to be good—and more like to fear you if they are inclined to be naughty.
“That all sounds great, Machiavelli,” you say, “but tell me there's a better way. My favorite mistress would never leave the shopping in the capital.”
There is. Take the homes and fields from a number of the inhabitants and give them to people from your old princedom. They will colonize your new princedom with little expense and trouble to you. The people you've harmed are now homeless people, and what are a bunch of bums going to do to a prince? Nothing. And the people who still have their homes won't say anything so they don't end up like their former neighbors.
This is a good place to note: men should either be stroked and loved--or eliminated. Period. No time-outs, no half-measures. Someone might seek revenge for a slap on the wrist, but you'll never have someone coming after you because he's fired up that you beheaded him or if he's starving and homeless in a ditch somewhere.
Some people will tell you that military occupation is a good way of holding a princedom. Don't listen. Military occupations are very expensive, hosting a standing army always damages you new prize, and further it makes the entire populace angry—that would be the non-homeless people who can hurt you. Don't do it.
Furthermore, you need to look ahead when you have a princedom that's got a different culture from your own. (Hey, I told you it was going to be difficult in the beginning, didn't I?) You will need to make yourself head and protector of neighboring, lesser powers as well. They are bound to be scared that they are next. Take them under your wing, make little reassuring noises—kill their more powerful inhabitants. If you don't, they will bring in someone powerful to protect them from you, and you will have no end of trouble--if you don't lose your princedom entirely. Oh, and don't let any other would-be prince who maybe speaks their language start sweet-talking around.
Addendum: If eliminating a troublesome party requires war, don't hesitate. No one likes war, it's messy and expensive, but war against an ambitious enemy cannot be avoided. If you are powerful enough to defeat them, do it now. If you defer it and become stronger or remain the same, you've still had to put up with their aggro in the meantime; if you defer it and become weaker... well, hope you like the view from the spikes at the top of the battlements.
One more thing: Don't ever be that 'grass is greener' guy. Never help someone to gain power other than yourself. Just don't do it. If they have any sense they will immediately see you as an enemy. After all, what you gave, you can take away again. You are effectively putting your enemy in power.
To be continued (?)
I love Machiavelli, he's smooth, powerful and fascinating—rather like a shark. Conclusion: Prince Lotor is a Bad Prince. He is likely to be overthrown, and indeed that is what happens to him on the show.
Dedicatory Letter:
Machiavelli sucks up to the "Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici". Don't be afraid to suck up to the right people.
Chapter I
There are two kinds of states: republics and princedoms. Only princedoms will be discussed in The Prince. Princedoms are either controlled by a hereditary ruler or are new. The new ones are either completely new, as when a mercenary captain makes a successful coup, or they are 'new to you' as when a prince adds to his hereditary state. These new princedoms are either used to living under a prince or they are used to being free. They are acquired either with one's own military force or with the use of someone else's; further they may have been acquired through being in the right place at the right time OR by extraordinary cunning, courage, prudence and a willingness to be quite nasty when necessary, all in the service of acquisition--qualities hereafter to be collectively referred to as 'virtue'. (heh)
Chapter II
Hereditary princes have an easy time of it because the people are used to his rule and, unless his vices are nasty enough to make him hated, the subjects are going to like him a lot better than you. If you conquer, and then screw up at all, the people are going to slap the hereditary prince right back on the throne, a little something you should keep in mind.
Chapter III
Regarding 'new to you' princedoms. Prepare to be hated. Embrace it. Then kill or imprison the people that hate you. It is the nature of people to want to change one prince for another, hoping to do better. These 'grass is greener' types are useful, in fact they are absolutely necessary. No matter how strong your army is you cannot conquer a princedom that is not betrayed from within.
To get back to the hate: the fence jumpers will always be disappointed by your rule. So, the people that didn't sign up to be conquered will hate you, and shortly after so will the people that opened the gates for you when their Shangri-la doesn't materialize. If you wish to keep your new princedom, you must be prepared to ignore that understandable, yet deadly, sense of obligation toward those who put you in power. Be prepared to get very nasty with them at the first sign of dissatisfaction. You can bet the guy 'formerly known as prince' sure wishes that he did that when he had the chance. Don't become a 'formerly known as'. Squash those malcontents hard and fast.
If your new princedom happens to have the same language and general customs as your others, you have only two jobs: 1) to eliminate the blood line of the former prince, and 2) do absolutely nothing else. OK that's one job. As long as you keep the taxes and laws the same, the people won't care who's prince. Sad but true.
What if your shiny new acquisition has a different language and culture than the rest of your princedom? Wow. I don't care how shiny it is; it's a real fixer-upper. What's worse, you may have to live in it while it is being worked on. There's really no other way to deal with uprisings as soon as they arise. If you're off-site, you won't hear about it until it's a war, and frankly, then it's kinda too late: you're back at square one. Also, if you live there, your officials obviously can't loot the place while you're absent; the subjects are more satisfied, having greater access to you, and are more like to love you if they are inclined to be good—and more like to fear you if they are inclined to be naughty.
“That all sounds great, Machiavelli,” you say, “but tell me there's a better way. My favorite mistress would never leave the shopping in the capital.”
There is. Take the homes and fields from a number of the inhabitants and give them to people from your old princedom. They will colonize your new princedom with little expense and trouble to you. The people you've harmed are now homeless people, and what are a bunch of bums going to do to a prince? Nothing. And the people who still have their homes won't say anything so they don't end up like their former neighbors.
This is a good place to note: men should either be stroked and loved--or eliminated. Period. No time-outs, no half-measures. Someone might seek revenge for a slap on the wrist, but you'll never have someone coming after you because he's fired up that you beheaded him or if he's starving and homeless in a ditch somewhere.
Some people will tell you that military occupation is a good way of holding a princedom. Don't listen. Military occupations are very expensive, hosting a standing army always damages you new prize, and further it makes the entire populace angry—that would be the non-homeless people who can hurt you. Don't do it.
Furthermore, you need to look ahead when you have a princedom that's got a different culture from your own. (Hey, I told you it was going to be difficult in the beginning, didn't I?) You will need to make yourself head and protector of neighboring, lesser powers as well. They are bound to be scared that they are next. Take them under your wing, make little reassuring noises—kill their more powerful inhabitants. If you don't, they will bring in someone powerful to protect them from you, and you will have no end of trouble--if you don't lose your princedom entirely. Oh, and don't let any other would-be prince who maybe speaks their language start sweet-talking around.
Addendum: If eliminating a troublesome party requires war, don't hesitate. No one likes war, it's messy and expensive, but war against an ambitious enemy cannot be avoided. If you are powerful enough to defeat them, do it now. If you defer it and become stronger or remain the same, you've still had to put up with their aggro in the meantime; if you defer it and become weaker... well, hope you like the view from the spikes at the top of the battlements.
One more thing: Don't ever be that 'grass is greener' guy. Never help someone to gain power other than yourself. Just don't do it. If they have any sense they will immediately see you as an enemy. After all, what you gave, you can take away again. You are effectively putting your enemy in power.
To be continued (?)
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