Essay On Machiavelli's "the Prince" And "the Discourses On Livy"

Question 1. According to Machiavelli, power is the main means of ruling which can support ruler’s authority and influence on the subordinates. In this sense, he contradicts with the statement of his predecessors suggesting that kingdom should be ruled on the basis of morality and that the ruler should be an example of morality and goodness. In Machiavellian interpretation, the ruler might be good and moral to the point when he should secure his power and control over the kingdom. In acquisition of power, morality of means is irrelevant, only final result matters.
Question 2. The ethics of the statecraft can be summarized in one sentence – the main aim of the ruler is maintenance of power. This means he should think, first of all, about survival of his state, rather than citizens, legitimacy of his power, authorities and anything else. In this context, the ethics of statecraft is in having enough strength and power to enforce the rule of imposed laws through all possible and needed means. In the sense of defense, preventive attack is preferable. Spreading of the kingdom’s territory through the conquest is justified by the right for survival.
Question 3. The wise Prince rules through the strength of his loyal army, fear of his people and respect of his enemies. This is achieved through the personal cold-blooded charisma, which can be embodied in strictness, control and strong will. The wise Prince might seem moral, good and caring in order to gain public approval, but should not be like that indeed, since he will lose his power if he shows real weakness. Having a mask to wear for each occasion is an advice of Machiavelli.
Question 4.The ruler cannot be both loved and feared, so he should chose the most effective way. It is better to be feared than loved, because promises given out of love are randomly fulfilled. On the other hand, obligations dictated by fear and possible consequences of disobey are secured by this fear. In this context, the most important for the ruler is not to go too far and not to allow fear turn into hate. Such situation would threaten ruler’s authority.
Question 5. Machiavelli was deriving the phenomenon of tyranny from the Principality. This means that tyrants are coming from the rulers who exaggerate their power and turn fear into hate. In the “Discourses of Livy”, he made an example of French state where without rule of law and Parliament, French nobility could tyrannize the population. Thus, lack of control was leading to the tyranny. The main means against tyranny was seen in armed citizen militia, which ones saved Rome from tyranny.