MACHIAVELLI’S ARCHETYPAL PRINCE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY.

Introduction:

Through-out this essay, I will be discussing how both a fictional character in modern television and a non-fictional leader fit the archetypal prince in the eyes of 15th to 16th century philosopher, politician and all-round renaissance man, Niccolò Machiavelli, which he discusses in detail in his book and address to Lorenzo De Medici, ‘The Prince’.

I will be looking at and dissecting the credentials of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and fictional Game of Thrones character, Daenerys Targaryen. I will discuss these characters ability to be a Machiavellian prince based on five of Machiavelli’s desired characteristics for his archetypal prince which he discusses in the book.

1. The end justifies the means.

2. It's better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.

3. Strong public outreach and use of propaganda.

4. Fox and lion characteristics.

5. Build an enduring leadership structure and strong team.

The end justifies the means:

Niccolò Machiavelli is mostly known, in today’s culture, to exemplify cunning, wit and in a general sense, evil. However, this is often misunderstood. Machiavelli wanted his ideal prince to, on occasion, proceed with ideas that may be considered evil in the modern-day sense, only if it would help the princes’ standings and benefit his state in the long run. He condoned acts of evil because he believed the end justifies the means. “He (The prince) should not depart from doing good; but he must know how to enter into evil, if necessary” - (Machiavelli, 2011)

Daenerys Targaryen can be seen to understand this Machiavellian principle and is seen through-out the show, from time to time, committing acts of necessary evils. In season seven’s episode entitled “ Beyond the Wall”, Daenerys and her army defeat a contingent of King’s landing soldiers. When confronting Randyll and Dickon Tarly, Daenerys says “Bend the knee and join me, or refuse and die”. After they refuse, and her dragon burns them alive, her advisor Tyrion questions her impulsive decision, to which she replies, “That was not impulsive. That was necessary”. (Bucci, 2018)

Current Russian president, Vladimir Putin, echoes this Machiavellian stance also in his political approach. In 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist, was murdered in her apartment lobby not long after she wrote about Russia’s troubles with Chechnya. Many people speculated that the Putin administration had her killed to silence her. This would end up being just one of many allegations over the years against Putin and his government for alleged murders. For Putin, he would see actions like this, however evil, as necessary to not only keep him in power but to keep his state stable. “Considering how tightly Putin controls his government, it's unlikely he would be unaware of government operations to neutralize perceived enemies” - (Engel, 2017)

Also, in 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent died after drinking a poisoned cup of tea at a London hotel. The inquiry by British Intelligence suggested Russian involvement. (Engel, 2017)

Whether these allegations are true or not is up for debate, however, if true, it showcases Putin’s willingness to keep power and stability with the belief that the end justifies the means.

It's better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both:

Fear is a common theme that runs through Game of Thrones, and many characters such as Cersei Lannister, for example, utilise it to maintain power. Machiavelli suggests that it is best for a ruler to be both feared and love but does note that, however, it is quite difficult to achieve this. He says “A prince must make himself feared, in such a way that, if he does not procure love, he avoids hatred. For one can certainly be feared without being hated” - (Machiavelli, 2011)

He notes here that it is possible to be feared without being hated and this is where Daenerys excels. Daenerys does in fact instil fear in both her enemies and closest advisors through her occasional acts of necessary evil and, of course, through the use of her Dragons. In episode two of season seven, Olenna Tyrell talks about how loved her own daughter was, and how it led to her demise. She provides Daenerys with the advice that “they will not obey you unless they fear you” - (Bucci, 2018). Tyrion, her most trusted advisor, echoes Machiavelli’s advice again by saying "You need to inspire a degree of fear”. We see Daenerys take this advice on board increasingly so as the show progresses.

Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, balances his people and his leadership counterpart’s perception of him brilliantly. Putin has an air of respectable fear that balances somewhere in the middle of the fear and love Machiavelli talks about. He achieves his level of perceived fear through his actions, similarly to that of Daenerys. From October 1999 to January 2000, Putin unleashed vast firepower on Chechnya. “Putin fulfilled his promise to clean out the "shit house" of Chechnya” - (Engel, 2017). As a former member of the KBG and through his no-nonsense actions, Putin commands a fear which keeps him in power and ensures his re-election.

Strong public outreach/propaganda:

In Chapter fifteen of “The Prince”, Machiavelli talks about the qualities a prince should appear to have, such as generosity, cunning and compassion among others. “I know that everyone will confess that it would be most praiseworthy in a prince to exhibit all the above qualities that are considered good”. Machiavelli suggests that good leaders must appear to have these characteristics, even if they do not actually have them. - (Ratner, 2017)

Daenerys Targaryen achieves her strong public outreach by freeing the enslaved. She has a strong purpose and mission which allows the people around her to believe in her, regardless of her many political faults. Daenerys dragons also provide a strong propaganda style belief in her, as they not only represent, but are the strength she has and needs to take the iron throne.

In 2010, President Vladimir Putin performed at a charity event by singing a Fats Domino’s classic, “Blueberry Hill”. An action like this helps create the perception of generosity and compassion amongst his fellow Russian people. On the other side of public image and propaganda techniques, photos of Putin are often circulated of him competing in Judo or Sambo, a traditional Russia martial art, or riding topless on a horse while carrying a fire arm. These types of tactics strengthen his public image of masculinity and fearlessness. As an action orientated individual, Putin has also decreased poverty in Russia during his reign with recent statistics suggesting that the number of the needy is at 20.8 million in Q1 2018, which is 1.2 million less than it was when calculated for January to March last year. Again, these actions help his strong public outreach. (Malyutin, 2018)

It is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves:

Machiavelli understands the important dynamic between having intelligence and cunning coupled with an ability to take action and defend yourself when necessary. We see often through-out Game of Thrones that many characters lean one way or the other. Machiavelli believes that “the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves”- (Machiavelli, 2011). Peter Baelish, for example, can be seen as the ultimate fox during his time on the show, however, his lack of an ability to play the lion ultimately leads to his demise. Daenerys, on the other hand, leans towards the side of the lion and, in my opinion, does lack cunning and intellect on occasion. She tends to plough ahead with her ideas and actions without giving them serious thought. Daenerys, however, is lucky in the fact that she heeds Machiavelli’s advice about building a strong team around her. Her advisor, Tyrion, balances Daenerys’ lion like nature with his fox like characteristics.

Machiavelli argues that prudent rulers must “be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves”. (Machiavelli, 2011). It is important to appear merciful, loyal and generous to keep power but be ready to change when it is necessary. One who knows how to be the fox and the lion has always turned out to be the most successful. Therefore, Machiavelli would argue that Putin’s qualities to play both well have led to his success and allow him to remain in power.

In 2015, Putin sent his army into Syria to help re-establish President Assad as Syria’s leader. He inserted Russian military forces into Syria, so he could seize the initiative from Assad’s opponents, mainly the U.S.A. Putin was being the lion by supplying forces to Syria and appearing strong but the fox because he was doing this for his own, and Russia’s, internal motives. – (Barnard, A. and MacFarquhar, N, 2015). Putin wanted to flex his countries military muscle to the west while at the same time getting his foot in the door in the event that Assad was to win the war, which is looking likely with every passing day. Regardless, Putin is not interested in the war’s outcome entirely. He was just being the fox, playing the events to his advantage and being the lion, by showcasing his willingness to act with his mighty Russian military. Putin is playing the part of the fox yet appearing to be the lion which, according to Machiavelli, is a strong way to consolidate and keep power in your state.

Build an enduring leadership structure and strong team:

Through-out ‘The Prince’, Machiavelli continuously talks about the need for a leader to, not only have a strong and powerful army, but also that it must be an army of your own, without auxiliaries or mercenaries. “The wise prince, therefore, has always avoided auxiliary troops and relied on his own forces. He would rather lose with his own armies than to conquer with the arms of another, judging that a victory won with the arms of others is not a real victory” - (Machiavelli, 2011)

Both Vladimir Putin and Daenerys Targaryen excel in heeding Machiavelli’s advice here, by surrounding themselves with loyal, powerful armies and wise, trusted advisors. Machiavelli talks of a prince “who shall save enslaved Italy from the domination of foreign powers that have left her gravely wounded and almost without life”. - (Machiavelli, 2011). Daenerys seems to be shaping up to be the leader to save and reunite her fictional Westeros. Time and time again we see Daenerys save the enslaved from their masters and set them free, with the choice to join her in her quest. We see her break the chains of slavery for the unsullied army, as well as burn the Dothraki masters while remaining unburnt herself, gaining the support of the Dothraki people. She collects an increasingly larger army of loyal and believing soldiers as she makes her way through Essos towards Westeros, creating a force that Machiavelli would certainly approve of. She has also wisely surrounded herself with strong allies, such as Jon Snow, and intelligent advisors such as Tyrion Lannister and Daario Naharis. Machiavelli said that “the first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is by observing the men he has around him” and be observing Daenerys’ council we can see that she echoes the advice of Niccolò Machiavelli.

In a recent survey of military power, Russia is seen to have the second largest military in the world behind their rivals, the United States of America. - (Global Firepower, 2018). The army consist of over one million men, most who are Russian civilians conscripted to serve time in the army. Russia have built a huge military force to be reckoned with and we often see Putin exercise the idea of his army’s strength to his benefit. Putin also quickly gained the respect of the huge oil and gas companies when he took power saying that "he would not interfere with their businesses or renationalize state resources as long as they stayed out of politics — that is, as long as they did not challenge or criticize the president.” – (Engel, 2017)

Since 2000, Vladimir Putin has been president for fourteen out of eighteen possible years. In 2008, when his second term was up, he became Vice President by rallying alongside Dmitry Medvedev and insuring Medvedev got elected. Through his strategic alliance with Medvedev, Putin has managed to retain power in Russia as far back as 2000. Putin’s regain comes to an end in 2024 where he will likely, in my opinion, again become Vice President under Medvedev or any other loyal and willing candidate. Putin has managed to leverage his leadership structure and his alliances both inside and outside of Parliament to remain ‘The Prince’ of Russia. – (Roth, 2018)

Conclusion:

Although neither Putin or Daenerys are the perfect archetypal ‘Princes’ that Machiavelli discusses in his book to Lorenzo de Medici, they do however showcase many Machiavelli characteristics and traits. For me, Putin is the best case for a Machiavellian prince as he showcases strong and stern leadership skills, has immense popular support and has managed to remain in power for a considerable amount of time using the aforementioned traits and his ability to adapt his image and political stances when change is needed. Machiavelli calls this ‘virtù’. According to Machiavelli, virtù includes pride, bravery, humanism, strength and an amount of ruthlessness. Daenerys for me, on the other hand, often seems impulsive in her decisions and seems too concerned with taking the Iron Throne rather than setting herself up for a long and stable reign, something Putin has accomplished.

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