The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)

I’d been meaning to read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli based on the reputation of the book alone. People up to no good are said to be Machiavellian and manipulative. I expected a treatise on how to manipulate people on an individual level. It is a much broader book than that. The Prince is a guidebook for new rulers, or Princes, instructing them on the best way to rule over a populace. It’s a book on good governance with interesting bits of wisdom here and there. And, it’s a difficult read because the text calls on events that were current at the time it was written in 1513. The Prince also features a translation straight from antiquity. Consider this little bit about building fortresses… "So that, on the whole, the best fortress you can have, is in not being hated by your subjects. If they hate you no fortress will save you; for when once the people take up arms, foreigners are never wanting to assist them." That’s a bit of wisdom. It is immediately followed by this passage… "Within our own time it does not appear that fortresses have been of service to any Prince, unless to the Countess of Forlì after her husband Count Girolamo was murdered; for by this means she was able to escape the first onset of the insurgents, and awaiting succour from Milan, to recover her State; the circumstances of the times not allowing any foreigner to lend assistance to the people. But afterwards, when she was attacked by Cesare Borgia, and the people, out of hostility to her, took part with the invader, her fortresses were of little avail. So that, both on this and on the former occasion, it would have been safer for her to have had no fortresses, than to have had her subjects for enemies. All which considerations taken into account, I shall applaud him who builds fortresses, and him who does not; but I shall blame him who, trusting in them, reckons it a light thing to be held in hatred by his people." There are chapters on how to deal with flatterers and how to treat Ministers. The text concludes with Machiavelli encouraging a leader to use the lessons of the book and to step forward to rid Italian soil of barbarians. Machiavelli advises the need for realism and talks of the influence of Fortune, for good and bad. The Prince an interesting read with applications to the modern age, but to get to the meat of the advice, you get a big dose of the politics of the ancient world.

I often heard of this book but never read it and after reading it I am sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. Some people think that the book is cruel and calculating, but I think it is very insightful of how governments take over countries and keep their citizens in line. Some times it means killing the old administration (literally) and other times it means employing citizens in new territories that you are trying to take over. The writing wasn't convoluted at all. It was very clear and well written. This is definitely a book you can read over and over again.

Awesome but almost completely outdated book...unless your using it as a historical and allegorical insight or comparison for yourself. High value book that meets way too much negative criticism with next to zero context for when it was written

Politicians usually read this text in the first political science class which they take. Actually, understanding Politics without understanding the principles in this text is an impossibility. A person who does not understand the principles of this text is too naive to understand why their leaders do what they do. Politics occurs in business, family life, and other settings, as well as government; Machiavelli's rules may be applied in all of these. Though living by these rules isn't necessary, a successful politician must act with mindfulness of their implications, or face failure. Considering the far reaching implications of Machiavelli's thought, one might wonder why elementary school children do not study "the Prince." Many people don't have the guts to face what Machiavelli says. He presents the rules of 'hardball' politics; the only time that he mentions morality is when he describes the occasions in which a leader may need to fake it. Politicians have become so adept in following these rules that those whom they lead will often take offense at the suggestion that their leaders live by them. Read this book and understand the daily news. "The Prince" is the quintessential text of Political Science. The Dover edition, though small, does not lack any of the origional text. It does lack the clutter of scholarly commentaries. It belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the politics which impacts their life, but it will merely irritate the gullible

Luckily it's not too many pages because I look forward to spending some undisturbed time reading it again. I am very far from an historian but kept hearing about Machiavellian plots so I was intrigued. I read through it in very distracting circumstances at work here and there. But, what I did grasp is that many documented historical examples show that princes (people/governments/religions) are warlike, evil, ambitious, and unbelievably devious to futher their own positions and possessions. It also chronicles how the Church/Popes weave into history as being no better (exactly the same) as Princes. A good read. Definitely recommend. Read prior to this: The Church in History by Episcopalian Theologian John E. Booty. Currently reading: Dante's Divine Comedy.

..it just doesn't get me too excited, so it has been put down. This read is supposed to be one of those books that is insightful. It may be, but it has to be absorbing to keep my interest. Maybe I'll put it next to my bed so that I can read myself back to sleep.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, is one of the most influential Italian literature in the world. This dangerous book exposes and analyzes the fundamental principles of power and government. These principles are always followed regardless of the form of government (democracy, monarchy, dictatorship,etc.). The book exposes the fact that there is no form of government in which power is shared with the people. Unless you have power and influence, you do not, and never will matter to the government. Gandhi and MLK changed their respective countries because they obtained power and influence. There are only a handful of countries in the world with direct democracy, which counts everyone's vote equally. I think real democracy may exist among less than ten people.

So I was in Germany, and being the political panderer I am, I decided to lecture the advantages and the applications of patriotism, socialism and the flaws in capitalism in some pubs. I amassed a modest following and sooner or later achieved political hegemony in the Reichstag. But to my misfortune, the other more moderate parties with no compunction decide to curtail my motives. Long story short, I purchased, read, and absorbed this book like a phlylum Porifera. Eventually it was in September it came, a war yet unknown to the world.