Virtues a successful ruler has according to Machiavelli Essay

Virtues a successful ruler has according to Machiavelli - Essay Example The World Wars clearly illustrate the lengths that have been taken in a attempt to acquire power and fame. However, other social setting have been able to peaceful elect their leaders successful without any strife. A question is then raised on the different scenarios that lead to peace or war among the people. Philosophers went a step further to study the reasons behind the behavior of people leading them to act in a certain way and the mindset involved. Some of them focused on the politics of the people and especially their leaders who determined the political environment of their citizens. Machiavelli was one such individual who drew some conclusions on qualities that led to a successful ruler. We shall discuss his theories at a critical angle and justify his conclusions. Machiavelli was born at a time when the political situation of his time was filled with devious acts of tyranny and dictatorship. The leaders of his time including the Pope took over power by means of force and tr eachery without the slightest hint of apology to the people involved. The citizens took second place in their fight for supremacy and their welfare, including the prosperity of their countries was a dismissal subject. These events lead Machiavelli to look back at past leadership regimes and the impact of their rule on society. He gives an example of Cesare Borgia and states, ‘‘Cesare Borgia was accounted cruel; nevertheless, this cruelty of his reformed Romagna, brought it unity, and restored order and obedience†¦.’’1. It is clear from the quote that the philosopher was only trying to be reasonable in his approach to the situation at hand. He justified the means to the ultimate end as was core understanding of politics. As a politician himself, Machiavelli decided to resign from public office and write guidelines on successful qualities of leaders as he saw fit at the time. He begins by outlining that a ruler must possess the qualities of virtu and For tuna. By way of virtu, one is able to control the status of his leadership and assert himself among his people. This was not the traditional virtuous way of leading, but an unconventional stand in which one uses any means possible to establish their rule. Such means are at times violent and harmful to the people but they sometimes arrived at the desired results as was initially intended. Andrew in his book writes, ‘As such, when he talks about â€Å"virtue,† he tends to mean, not moral goodness or Christian piety, but skill required to keep control of one’s kingdom.’2 He goes ahead to explain that the functionality of the two factors go hand in hand with each other thus one has to be able to prepare for future outcomes by influencing their result. This involves adapting to the changes that may occur in the course of pursuit of power for the sake of being relevant. Those who are resistant to change could find themselves in ruin if caution is not taken. Such as the seasons of time change, so do our circumstances in life and we should be prepared to manage the results of those changes in society. In times of peace, one should build for themselves vessels of protection incase a turmoil develops. We cannot always rely on our luck to be in power but take an active role in ensuring our prolonged stay. The other notion of Machiavelli insists that leaders should separate their innate morality from their actions in