The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (New translation by Tim Parks) (Book Review 4/10)

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (New translation by Tim Parks)

Considered as the Chanakya of the west, this book is good one in teaching some of the life aspects, although it was meant for the rulers at the time when it was written, it is useful today also as it answers some of the questions like what is better to be feared or to be loved? So a good read of-course it gets necessary to ignore the names if you are not a history buff. The book also provides a long list and brief history of the persons mentioned in the text, and it’s useful for the history people. But still the book has relevance in some of its teachings.

It starts with different types of the states and how to conquer them and most important how to rule them and how to retain them. Two important things which come up is 1. It is very difficult to overcome a hereditary rules, the only way is to wipe out his full family and then also it’ll be difficult to rule 2. States won by crime, it is very tough to retain them but it’s surely possible to retain them, if the rules focus of the welfare of the subjects after he attains the crown by treachery or heinous crime. We can judge the relevance of the book in the context of the Indian politics.

It also states “A man who becomes king with the support of the people, then, must keep those people on his side. This is easy enough since all they want is to be free from oppression. But the man who becomes the king against the will of the majority and with the support of the wealthy nobles must make is an absolute priority to win over the affection of the common people.

It also explains various kinds of armies and also the question of mercenary army support. He says it should be avoided as much as possible as the army built from within the people of the state is more powerful as it fights with its will and dedication for its mother land. Even if any state deploys the mercenary army it can’t get rid of it after the task is over as it can’t be brought under the rule nor it can be fired so the last choice being to finish them but then again it weakens the state. I hope our neighboring country or at least its policy makers read this book. It can learn a lot from it. 

The book also shows what men and particularly rulers are praised and blamed for. If you want to play the good man in the world where most of the people are not good, you’ll end up badly. Hence, if a ruler wants to survive, he’ll have to learn to stop being good, at least when the occasion demands. A good ruler mustn’t be concerned about the bad reputation that comes with the negative qualities that are almost essential if he is to hold on to power. If you think about it, there’ll always be something that looks morally right but would actually lead a ruler to disaster, and something else that looks wrong but will bring security and success.

Generosity practiced out of real good will, as it should be, risks passing unnoticed and you won’t escape a reputation of meanness. Since a ruler can’t be generous and show it without putting himself at risk, if he’s sensible he won’t mind getting a reputation for meanness. 

Cruelty and compassion. Whether it’s better to be feared or loved? Since the people decide for themselves whether to love a ruler or not, while it’s the ruler who decides whether they are going to fear him, a sensible man will base his power on what he controls, not on what others have freedom to choose. But he must take care that people don’t come to hate him. And a ruler won’t be hated if he keeps his hands off his subject’s property and their women. 

A ruler and his promises

Everyone will appreciate how admirable it is for a ruler to keep his word and be honest rather than deceitful. However, in our times we’ve had examples of leaders who’ve done great things without worrying too much about keeping their word. Outwitting opponents with their cunning, these men achieved more than leaders who behaved honestly.

This book also shows what a ruler should do to win respect and some hints on the rulers’ ministers and how to avoid flatterers. The sensible ruler must find a middle way, choosing intelligent men for ministers and giving them and only them the right to tell him the truth, and only on the issues he asks about, not in general.

So people I think all can understand whether to read this book or not, it entirely rests upon you.