Machiavelli Blog

It has become a commonly accepted doctrine that the shy do not make history. The bold, the powerful, and the initiators of social and progressive change incite a new course of history that happens for the better or for the worse. The decisiveness of a leader often provides the public with a foundational source of confidence and creates a figure that the political audience can look to as a marker of confidence and firmness. Because of how incredibly mutable the political system can be, the status of the political strength of a nation will always be facing many changes compressed into a short amount of time. Machiavelli’s decisiveness would serve a nation well in the face of all the conflict and indecision. The heart of a stern ruler will change based on his interactions with the people, because “love attaches men by ties of obligation, which, since men are wicked, they break when their interests are at stake” (52). His point coheres well with his statements never wanting to be friends with a strong ally, because you, as a leader will fall to the background as your strong political ally takes precedent. Stability is the first order of priority (30), and picking a side is mostly an issue of being pragmatic, because modern politics are not benefitted by a moderate viewpoint. In essence, the prosperity of the leader is directly correlated to the prosperity of the state, and the stability of the nation cannot reconcile with modern day democracy because of its mutable nature.