Table of Contents
Machiavellian Leaders: Descriptions
Joseph Stalin: A Machiavellian Leader
Stalin and Machiavelli create totalitarian regimes
Both leaders have a social impact
In conclusion,
This paper provides a comparison with Niccolo’s prince, a non-idealistic leader who is successful and not idealistic. Niccolomachiavelli showed how a leader who is realistic should act in The Prince. Machiavelli presents in his work some of the qualities and values that he feels a true leader must possess to retain his power over time. Leaders around the world read this book and tried adapting its principles to suit their own rule. Joseph Stalin was a Machiavellian leader. The main character in Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon stated that Stalin would read ‘The Prince’ each night.
Machiavelli’s ideology depicted humans in their true nature. He endorses the idea that people are inherently cruel, selfish, and greedy. He listed certain traits like always thinking about war, being intelligent, being appreciative of his country, and using your own weapons. Machiavelli says in his book, an effective leader must be realistic. A Machiavellian should not always be virtuous because idealistic politics will never work. Machiavellian leaders must have a lot of cunning and be well-versed in politics. They must also be industrious and able to make both enemies and friends. They must also possess leadership qualities. Joseph Stalin’s reign was marked by many of these traits.
Joseph Stalin: Machiavellian leaderJoseph Stalin led the USSR between 1922 and 1953. Stalin turned the USSR into an industrialized, military nation. He was totalitarian, a leader who terrorized and forced his people to obey his orders. Many have wondered whether Stalin is the Machiavellian leader. Stalin displayed Machiavellian characteristics throughout his rule: a ruler must be war-minded, miserly and feared without being hated.
Machiavelli wrote in The prince that a good prince should be a military commander and always be thinking of war. He must also train more in peacetime than he does in wartime. He used military force to rob the Russian peasants. He compared war with America to the Cold War, and war against the Nazis.
Machiavelli wrote in his book, “It is better to be known as a miser than to be hated for being overly generous.” Joseph Stalin was known to have been a miser due to the starvation measures he took against the peasants so that Russia could industrialize quickly and implement The Five Year Plan. The USSR suffered a famine. However, it became industrialized.
Machiavelli said in his book that a prince could be both feared and loved, but that it was best to avoid hatred. Stalin, a totalitarian, used fear to keep his people in line. He executed two people, but only some of his opponents hated him.
Machiavelli stated that the prince would always be respected if they chose between two sides. This is especially true during war. This policy is always more effective than neutrality, because if you have two powerful neighbors who come to blows you’ll either fear the winner or not. Stalin was also aware that the USSR, one of world’s most powerful nations, would be his ally. In order to make the world notice the strength of his country, he chose to side with the Allies.
Both Machiavelli and Stalin establish totalitarian regimesBoth leaders – Joseph Stalin and Machiavelli – wanted to control all aspects of their country, both public and private. The leaders wanted to control all residents in terms of politics, culture, and social issues. It was not acceptable to take any action which was not in the best interest of the country or its leader. There was a severe repression of all capitalistic business, religious figures or buildings, political parties, labor unions, and labor unions. According to Machiavellian ideology and absolute monarchs, residents gave up their rights as a result of government security. In addition, he claimed that the state can be easily controlled by the ruler to his benefit. Residents were repressed using ‘whatever tools’ available. Joseph Stalin’s methods of terror were used to keep the residents of his country under his total control.
The many ideologies that spread under Stalin’s rule and that of Machiavellian leaders were obstacles to the plans of control that were made. They were shown to be more dangerous than weapons by their opponents’ new ideologies. Joseph Stalin once stated that “ideas have more power than guns.” We wouldn’t let our enemies own guns. Why would we allow them to have ideas?
Each leader uses a different approach to display his or her work to the citizens. Joseph Stalin’s propaganda portrayed him as a man of great accomplishments. Stalin’s achievements were seen as exaggerated. Stalin had no choice but to use terror tactics and secret police to suppress political cults that were against his perfect image. In addition, all other parties and freedoms of speech were restricted. Stalin killed men whenever he found that their perspectives or the men themselves were an obstacle to his goals. Stalin even said that “death was the solution to every problem.” The Machiavellian Prince never revealed any details of his plans or activities. He did this to make his actions and achievements seem more real, even though some of them may have been carried out in an immoral or unethical fashion. In reality, he criticised Florentines in the same way that Caesar Borgia did. Borgia, although a cruel ruler, was successful. Florentines on the other had a popular leader but he lost several wars. He was not successful like Borgia.
Joseph Stalin divided his citizens into three classes. The ‘commoners,’ were a group of peasants who worked hard under difficult conditions to complete the five-year plan or other economic plans. Nomenklatura is high-level civil administration or middle class. The ‘priesthood,’ or elites, were the ones who organized Stalin’s Party. The Machiavellian, on the other hand did not want to divide his citizens into classes. Everyone worked together for the leader’s success, regardless of gender, race, or religion.
Both leaders made a positive impact on the society. Joseph S. Stalin had a vision of what his future would be. Stalin was determined to make a huge impact on the social aspect of Russia and made education its core. As an example, the literacy rate increased because of the mandatory nature of schooling. Education was completely under government control from the nursery school to the university. Students and peasants alike were required to learn the Communist Party’s doctrines. College professors and some students who questioned Communist Party ideology risked losing their jobs, or worse, facing imprisonment or execution. Industrialization revived, however, as students were forced to study practical and technical subjects. Women were granted their right to vote and other inalienable rights. Women were also encouraged to work and become householders. Stalin not only created a social revolution, but also a significant economic one by allowing women to work for industries that would increase domestic production. However, living standards in Russia decreased due to the harsh conditions of work, famine, low wages, etc. Art, culture, religion and other scenes that contradicted Stalin’s social vision were all banned. Machiavellian leaders had no vision of the future for their society. Machiavellians were therefore only interested in the safety of their society and its peace. Machiavellians aimed at achieving this goal by any means, moral or otherwise. He wasn’t too concerned with any other element of society but the prince and the state. Niccolo Macchiavelli stated that “Princes are much more dangerous to society than other elements.”
ConclusionSeveral factors have shown that Joseph Stalin possesses the characteristics of a Machiavellian. Machiavellians must be intelligent, appreciative of their country, fearless, have a strong sense of nationalism, and always think of war. Also, he needs to be a cunning leader, with a strong grasp of politics. Stalin developed many of these traits during his rule because he was a strong believer in Machiavelli. Stalin’s Machiavellian features were his being feared and not hated in politics, as well as his reputation for miserliness. He also thought constantly about war. Both leaders aimed for totalitarian systems, which would allow them to control all of the citizens in terms of politics, culture, and society. The leader or state would not tolerate any actions that were detrimental to their goals. The two leaders had very different ways of ruling. Stalin preferred propaganda to make people like him. A Machiavellian, on the other hand, prefers secrecy and especially unethical methods that are justified. Joseph Stalin was also a visionary leader who incorporated his vision into every decision he made. However, a Machiavellian is more focused on the current state of his government and its benefits.
