Thoughts of a Statesman

By Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. Heralded as one of the founders of modern political science, and more specifically political ethics, he was for many years an official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs, He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his masterpiece The Prince (Il Principe) in 1513 after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence. His views on the importance of a strong ruler who was not afraid to be harsh with his subjects and enemies were most likely influenced by the Italian city-states, which due to a lack of unification were very vulnerable to other unified nation-states such as France. "Machiavellianism" is a widely-used negative term to characterize unscrupulous politicians of the sort Machiavelli described in The Prince. The book itself gained enormous notoriety and wide readership because most readers assumed the author was teaching and endorsing evil and immoral behavior. Because of this, the term "Machiavellian" is often associated with deceit, deviousness, ambition, and brutality, although Machiavelli likely only used it as stylistic device to gain the reader's attention for his close analysis of the actual techniques used by rulers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1514389126
• ISBN13: 9781514389126
• Release Date: June 2015
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 44 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"