Question

How would you explain the role of violence in the writings of Machiavelli and what does it say about the politics of his time?

Answer 1

Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli is best known for writing The Prince, a handbook for unscrupulous politicians that inspired the term "Machiavellian" and established its author as the "father of modern political theory."

Machiavelli bases his advice about violence in The Prince primarily on his understanding of human weakness. He states that the way to effectively dominate a population without being threatened by them is to intimidate them. The prince can rule with a firm hand and mete out justice when necessary, but Machiavelli also advocates the application of moderated violence as a tool to ensure subservience.

Machiavelli does not advocate amorality on the part of the prince. He repeatedly states that it is not acceptable for the prince to commit random acts of violence, “to kill fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be treacherous, pitiless, irreligious.” (Chap. VIII: ‘Those who come to power by crime’)

POLITICAL VIEW DURING MACHIAVELLI TIMES...

The duality of appearance and reality is very important in Machiavelli. Though he agrees that it is conventionally admirable for the prince to possess all the qualities human society holds to be good, he also understands that what is ‘good’ is not always beneficial. What he advocates is pragmatism over normative virtue.

Machiavelli argued that the most successful kings were not the ones who acted according to dictates of law, or justice, or conscience, but those willing to do whatever was necessary to preserve their own power--and thus indirectly preserve the order of the state. His title, "The Prince," in fact, is a subtle mockery of the idea that rulers should be noble in their character. The implication of his title is that the idealized Prince Charming is a mere fairy tale. Machiavelli was excommunicated for espousing his views, but his arguments had a profound effect on Renaissance attitudes toward government. In literature such as Renaissance drama, the "machiavelle," or machiavellian villain, became a moustache-twirling stereotypical villain--the bad guy who appears to be good in front of all his companions in order to betray them all the more effectively. "Machiavellian" became a by-word for treachery, sneakiness, ambition, and ruthlessness.