Machiavellianism

In 1513 Niccolo Machiavelli, a prominent political philosopher of the Italian Renaissance, wrote The Prince, which eventually became his most famous piece of work. control. The Prince stands apart from all other political writings of the period because it “focuses on the practical problems a monarch faces in staying in power, rather than more speculative issues explaining the foundation of political authority” (Internet Encyclopedia, Paragraph 1). Written during a time of political upheaval, Machiavelli intended The Prince …

…the term “Machiavellian” is used often in modern times to describe dictators whose evil deeds exemplify the quotation that “the ends justify the means.” Besides the fact that such dictators suspend their morality in order to attain political power, they usually do not represent the other characteristics that Machiavelli describes in The Prince. Therefore, the modern day use of the term, “Machiavellian,” is not usually accurate in relation to the term’s origin and intent.