There is no doubt that Machiavelli’s The Prince was very different from other political texts of the Classical era in that it veered more towards the shrewd and pragmatic modern form of politics. However, there is sufficient proof that Machiavelli was not the creator of this political system. In fact, this system called ‘realpolitik’ or politics without principles was actually in practice long before Machiavelli’s time. Machiavelli just made this system more popular and mainstream.

One example of the use of realpolitik before Machiavelli’s time is of the evil Spanish imperial advisor Ortega Sorolla, who openly stated that the ruling emperor was to be supported at all costs and who imprisoned or executed anyone who posed a challenge to the emperor. In fact, several historians believe that Sorella actually got several exceptionally talented men secretly assassinated as he was afraid that one day they would pose a threat to the emperor’s throne.

Supporters of Machiavelli believe that power was a tangible entity, which could be reflected or ascertained by the size of the army that a ruler commanded. The ruler’s objective was to instill in the minds of his followers the fact that they should always think about war and how they would be victorious in one, as neglecting this could often lead to losing one’s kingdom. For Machiavelli, the truly powerful kingdoms were those that could use their money and clout to command large armies and use these armies to subjugate other kingdoms. These conquered kingdoms then deservedly became objects of ridicule and contempt.

Machiavelli’s lack of focus on the quality of governance within a state is clear from the fact that it is only as late as in chapter XII that he talks about the importance of having good laws within a state. This too seems to be an afterthought since Machiavelli pays no particular attention to the quality of these laws. He simply makes open ended statements and never really goes down to describing in detail what attributes make up a ‘good’ law.

According to Machiavelli, whatever actions a prince undertakes are with the single mined intention of gaining a good reputation in history books, even if that reputation is earned after the death of the prince. Machiavelli narrates the example of Agathocles, who rose from poverty to become the king of Syracuse by killing all those who stood in his path. This made Agathocles truly powerful in Machiavelli’s eyes. However, Machiavelli still doesn’t consider Agathocles’ achievements as perfect because, by committing the atrocities that he did commit, Agathocles only gained power but no glory. Thus, he failed to become part of the clique of famous men who had earned glory in Machiavelli’s eyes.

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about most political theories in the Classical era?

(A) It was not favored by several important men of that time.
(B) It was considered mild and less aggressive in comparison to other political theories of that time.
(C) It was rooted more in practicality than in principles.
(D) It was eventually abandoned in favor of realpolitik countries.
(E) At least some of its tenets were not rooted in practicality.


2. Why does the author mention Chapter XII in the passage?

(A) To explain that Machiavelli never actually described what were the characteristics of a good law.
(B) To show that Machiavelli considered arms superior to laws.
(C) To highlight the low level of importance Machiavelli assigned to the presence of good laws in a state.
(D) To prove that good governance never formed a part of Machiavelli’s teachings.
(E) To explain how Machiavelli was only concerned with the presence of laws, not with their quality.


3. Which of the following assertions would Machiavelli most likely agree with?

i. There is nothing wrong in showing contempt towards those who have lost in battle.
ii. The king should perform only two functions—fight good wars and make good laws.
iii. A ruler who committed atrocities would still gain glory as long as he won wars.

(A) i only
(B) iii only
(C) i and iii only
(D) ii and iii only
(E) i and ii only


4. Which of the following is a point of similarity between Sorolla and Machiavelli?

(A) Both of them believed in the supreme position of the emperor.
(B) Both of them believed that victory in war was paramount, no matter at what cost it came.
(C) Both of them believed that maintaining a strong and able army was more important than making good laws.
(D) Both of them believed that it was acceptable to go to any lengths in the single-minded pursuit of one’s goal.
(E) Both of them were a creation of the initial monopoly of the Classical political theory.