Political Thinking – POL 161

1. Political Thinking – POL 161 Erik Rankin Machiavelli 34-53

2. Machiavelli – Book VIII • Other than fortune and prowess a man can come to power by the use of criminal acts • They attain power by killing citizens & betraying friends • Princes who commit these acts find power, but never glory • Here we see a condemnation of “evil power” • Does this seem odd given Machiavelli’s reputation? • Machiavelli goes on to give the examples of King Agathocles of Syracuse • Rose to power through crime • Was a common citizen who rose through the ranks of the military • Called a meeting with the Senate and ordered his men to kill the Senate and he took power

3. Machiavelli – Book VIII • Agathocles’ Lack of Virtue • Rose to power via military • Used those ties to make a deal with Hamilcar of Carthage, effectively using Hamilcar’s troops • Invites all of the senate together for a meeting and promptly slaughters them • The Carthaginians attempted to take power for themselves, only to be attacked by Agathocles’ forces, they fled with Agathocles in control of Syracuse • Odd passage on pg. 60 • Why is this passage odd?

4. Machiavelli – Book VIII • How is Borgia different from Agathocles? • Story of Borgia and d’Orco • How did Borgia come to power? • Hires d’Orco to govern the Romagna, and was told to use whatever cruelty was necessary • After d’Orco achieved what Borgia wanted he returned and appeared angry with d’Orco • He punished him by cutting him to pieces (literally) in the public square for all to see • The people were both obedient and grateful to Borgia, and then set up courts to handle disputes • Now I ask what is the difference?

5. Machiavelli – Book VIII • The answer is the way Borgia carried out his cruelties • He did not do them himself • Convinced the people he was unaware of d’Orco • Thus, pacification without liabilities • If he had done these things himself, he would have been hated by the people • It is wise to be feared, but NOT hated • Hated means plots, which mean more time money and stress to defend ones self against your own people • Simply, not in the Princes best interest to have a reputation for being arbitrarily cruel and immoral

6. Machiavelli – Book VIII • Machiavelli tempers his criticism of Agathocles because he did not sustain his cruelty • But he never praises Agathocles, because he does not think his cruelty was accomplished with finesse • Finesse is HUGE for Machiavelli • Allows the Prince to achieve more with less expended in terms of money, skill, and less risk • Chapter 18 will tie all of this up • “You should seem to be compassionate, trustworthy, sympathetic, honest, religious, and indeed, be all these things; but at the same time you should be constantly prepared, so that, if these become liabilities, you are trained and ready to become their opposites”

7. Machiavelli – Book IX • Prince can also come to power through his fellow citizens – Constitutional Principality • Every city is comprised of 2 groups: commons and nobles • Common people want to avoid being dominated and oppressed by nobles • Nobles naturally want to dominate and oppress commoners – seems like we have an issue! • The opposition between the two is where we end up with a principality, a free state or anarchy

8. Machiavelli – Book IX • Principality • Power to form is with either nobles or commoners • If either side can’t get what they want they will try to establish one of their own as the Prince • A noble Prince will have troubled if he is not supported by the people, however a Prince created by the people is supreme • Nobles will become dependent on the Prince or independent of his control • Princes must watch Nobles, they can become enemies • Prince’s must retain the peoples friendship, Benevolence is the best way to command the people

9. Machiavelli – Book X • Armies should be maintained in terms of size to that of any aggressor • Must also put a priority on maintaining defenses and fortifications • These defenses will provide security and a valid deterrent to all enemies • Idea that that if a fortified city is attacked the people seeing their city in flames will cause the people to turn on the Prince • A Prince that has made proper preparations defensively will actually inspire subjects to fight • Prince must inspire patriotism & enthusiasm by convincing subjects that hardships are only temporary • After the battle the people will love the Prince even more!

10. Machiavelli – Book XI • Ecclesiastical Principalities are those regions controlled by the Catholic Church • Taking control of these principalities is difficult, one must have good fortune or prowess • Prince does not even need to rule in this type of principality because it is the religion that is the ruler • The states are always secure and happy, and they need not be defended • These principalities are “sustained by higher powers which the human mind cannot comprehend” • Do you get the feeling that Machiavelli respects the church?

11. Machiavelli – Book XI • Machiavelli goes on to describe how the church has recently come to power • Power was once split up by the city-states and the papacy • Power was quite weak then • Pope Alexander VI (with the help of his son, Cesare Borgia) and Julius II greatly strengthened the church by using force • Machiavelli felt that the new Pope, Leo X needed to maintain the empire through goodness and virtue, the arms work had already been done

12. Machiavelli – Book XII • Two foundations of a strong state are: • Strong laws and strong armies • Good laws w/o good armies are impossible & a good army shows that there are strong laws • 3 types of armies for Machiavelli • Prince’s own troops • Mercenaries • Auxiliary • Mercenary & Auxiliary troops are “useless and dangerous”

13. Machiavelli – Book XII • Mercenaries are “disunited, undisciplined, ambitious, and faithless” • All they care about is making money and this impacts their morale and effectiveness • Mercenary commanders are either skilled or not skilled • The unskilled ones are worthless • The skilled ones cannot be trusted • The Prince should command his own army • Machiavelli blames the reliance on mercenary armies as the reason for the degrade in Italy’s political and military might

14. Journal Entry • When Machiavelli describes the city, who does it exist for, the ruler or the populace? • Do you feel there is a difference between King Agathocles and Cesare Borgia in terms of cruelty? • Do you feel that cruelty is a useful tool in today's society?