Discuss Machiavellian political thought and the circumstances which caused to him to write 'The Prince'

that the nation is the highest achievement of man and one should love the nation more than he loves himself. To become a perfect prince is true a difficult task, but if done correctly, it can be very rewarding. Machiavelli also believed that human nature does not change. In general, Machiavelli thought people were ungrateful, selfish, and insincere people, who only care about themselves. Therefore the government must realise a human beings true nature and use his qualities for its purposes. Machiavelli also explained that a ruler who intends to be successful must be prepared to do bad things when necessary. He must sometimes caress, sometimes hurt, sometimes forgive, and sometimes punish. This requirement must discard all moral judgments and individual suggestions concerning his political views. when making a decision, the ruler must act without hesitation. machiavelli believed that hesitation was not a good sign because it showed weakness in the leader. Another important concept of political thinking is the idea of virtue. Virtue means strength, intelligence, and courage, the necessary qualities of any human being. Machiavelli also said that the quality of virtue was found in some of the most important leaders such as Moses, Cyrus and many others. In "The Prince", Machiavelli was concerned with a principality, a state in which one ruler or a small elite governs a mass of subjects who have no active political life. Machiavelli talks about monarch ruler, the Medici, and offered advice designed to keep that ruler in power. He recommended policies that would discourage mass political activism. Machiavelli's aim was to persuade the monarch that he could best preserve his power by using violence carefully and economically, by respecting the persons property and traditions. The ruling Prince should be the main authority determining every aspect of the country activities and put in effect policies which serves his best interests. These interests were gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. However, Machiavelli did not feel that a Prince should mistreat his citizens. This suggestion is once again to serve the Prince's best interests. If a prince can not be both feared and loved, Machiavelli suggests, it would be better for him to be feared by the citizens within his own principality.