Machiavelli’s book ‘Prince’ is not an academic work. It is not a
book of Political Science also. But it is a book of practical politics. It says that
State is the highest form of human organisations. It is above all other human
organisations. It is unavoidable for the welfare of people. It is ruled by a Prince
who is rational114. He is brutal115 also. A Prince must have the qualities of a lion
in organizing attacks116. He should have the qualities of a fox in diplomatic
matters. He is not hated. He should be only feared. He must be free from
emotional disturbances. But he must take advantage of emotional disturbance of
people. He is a calculating opportunist. He must oppose evil by evil. He must be
ready to sin for the sake of the state. Dishonesty is the best policy for the Prince.
The fundamental principle of the Prince is that the State is the highest
association. It reflects the national character. Nobody is above the state. The law of the state expresses the character of the state.
A successful Prince should always try to make himself popular among the
people. He should be like a father figure to all his subjects. He must command
the respect of the citizens. He must ensure economic prosperity of the subjects.
He must plant spies all over. Any dissention against him should be taken into
consideration seriously. Conspirators should be thoroughly punished. There shall
be strict law and order in his state.
According to Machiavelli, the Prince is above laws. He is above all codes
and conducts. He need not watch for the morality and immorality of his actions.
He is bothered only about the end results. The means is not an issue for him.
While selecting the officials, the Prince should be careful to avoid flatterers. This
is the greatest challenge to a Prince. To differentiate between those who flatter
and those who present facts is difficult. He must also take steps to keep the royal
matters as secret.
A Prince must take the advice of wise people around him. He should not listen to all alike.
A successful Prince must abstain from personal property and women.
These two things can take away his interest in the administration of the state.
He must be able to sin for the unity and integrity of the state.
A Prince must realize the importance of a strong army for the state. No
nation can survive without a powerful army. He can only do so if enough finance
is available to him. But the real strength of the army resides in the patriotism of
people.
A Prince must also be able to exploit the religious feelings of the people for
the safety and security of the nation. He must also be able to get the sympathy of
the people .
A Prince must be able to obtain the opinion of his people on various
matters. He must create a feeling in men that the rule is for them. He must make use of various methods of propaganda to spread the message.
So friend this is all about the book prince.
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