Political Thought & Philosophy of Machiavelli for CSS PCS PPSC UPSC & Masters in universities of World

 Hi Dear aspirants and students of the world welcome to my channel. It is my desire to disseminate knowledge around the world. Let me introduce myself. My name is Prof Dr. Qayum Mangi I am Prof of IR. For aspirants who are intending to appear in the exam of superior service in any country of the world, students pursuing graduation or masters in IR, political science, history of world and studies of philosophies or in other subjects in universities around the world. The Lecture is according to the syllabus of superior service, Colleges, and Universities offering graduation and masters. The aspiring candidates intending to appear for the seeking Job and qualify competitive examination can also benefit from these lectures.  Today I am giving a lecture on the important topic of Political science of CSS and Provincial service. The topic is the political philosophy of Niccolo Machiavelli, he was born on 3rd May 1469 – and died on 21 June 1527 in Florence Italy. He was an Italian Reformer, philosopher best known for his eternal book “The Prince” written in 1513 published after his death. Other political philosophers of Europe have considered him as the father of modern political philosophy, secularism, and supremacy of State.

Book= The Prince. 1513, Art of War 1520, History of Florence. Diplomatic writings and Correspondence.

Before understanding and reading, the political philosophy of any philosopher students must be acquainted with social, political, and economic conditions of his country, region, and the world at large at that time.

M the detested and adored prophet of Secularism and absolutism had one of the enigmas of history was born in Florence Italy at a time when the political and economic development of his country was deteriorated because of social decadence, factional strife, internal disturbance and interference and conspiracies of European countries. Popes waged sinister wars against Italian city-states, and people and cities often fell from power as France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire battled for regional influence and control. If we cast a glance on the pages of history, it reveals that every ruler or philosopher strived for the attainment of lost glory and aggrandizement of his country. So did Machiavelli. The proposed method has been different but the goal was the same.

Let us cast a glance at the social, political, and economic conditions of Italy.

SOCIAL CONDITION.

Socially Italians were confronted with degradation and oppression. Cruelty, fraud, coercion, debauchery, profligacy had become the stepping-stones of success in Italian society. Man, when separated from law and justice become the worst of all animals proved in Italy. The people were debauch, selfish and corrupt. The governing classes drunk with power, indulged in reckless debauchery and sensuality. The middle classes took the greatest pride in imitating and aping the modes and manners of the rich. Religion and religious institutions became playing tools in the hands of debased clergyman / Churchman/ Ecclesiastics who corrupted and twisted religious principles in their interest or their masters somewhere else. The social disruption had reached its highest peak. The people were groaning under innumerable economic hardships. In a consequence of the moral debasement general disorder, unrest, external occupation, and intrigues, people were entangled in their internal problems.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITION.  

In Italy, political, and economic conditions were deteriorated due to an unstable and weak government. Italy was divided into parts ruled by other European states. The political and economic development of the state was marred because of social decadence, factional strife, and internal disturbance, and external intrigues. There was no stable political authority to solve the socio-economic problems and unite the divided Italian peninsula. Due to the intrigues and interference into the political sphere by other powerful countries, Italians were confined to divided territories and devoid of political sovereignty and integration. Unending political chaos, economic deprivation caused economic distress and people were forced to lead a miserable life.

The other nations of Europe were developing economically and progressing to the dawn of new era of prosperity.  M firmly believed in economic determinism and observed a close connection between political power and economic stability. According to him, it was a stark reality that behind all struggle for political liberty there was always economic motives therefore he desired for the participation of princes, nobles and common people in the making of constitution to check each other.

His philosophy reformed and integrated Italy into a powerful country that she was able to fight with other European powers. The religious reformer of South Asian continent also followed his philosophy that ultimately forced the Imperial Power to withdraw from world. If we research the cause of decline of Mughal of India and Muslims countries, the obvious cause was the weakness of rulers.

Therefore, In Machiavelli’s philosophy, we see selfishness, audacity, cunning, deception, treachery, malevolence cynicism, hatred and lust in the mentality of Prince or ruler to achieve nobler object of Italian integration and stability. Term Machiavellism has become a synonym for craft and duplicity and for the prevalence of expediency over truth and loyalty, whenever it is a question of aggrandizing a state or preserving its integrity. He denounced all the Church doctrine and held the Popes responsible for the plight of state affairs. He tirelessly struggled for the attainment of glory and magnificence of Rome by consolidating all scattered forces, repudiated foreign powers, and demanded expulsion of foreigners. He enunciated the philosophy of art of governments for securing effective stability and unification of the state.  He advocated for using even harsher and oppressive means for attaining the social coherence, economic prosperity and political stability of state. He regarded fear as dominating weapon for a Prince to get complete obedience from people.

The deteriorated social, economic and political condition stirred him and left indelible impact on his political philosophy that shaped the contour of future political philosophy. The political and economic development and prosperity in the Europe influenced his philosophy and left indelible impact upon him. His philosophy was chiefly influenced from the deteriorated degraded prevailing situation. M as a true Florentine was naturally shocked to see the political upheaval, social disgruntlements and economic plight of his country determined to save and unite his motherland. He served in various capacities and keenly observed the root causes and proffered solution in the face of powerful Prince. His main philosophy was the interest of Italy first and supreme. He was the first philosopher who propounded the priority of country over all other things. The current national and international politics is the continuation of this philosophy. All states of world strive to preserve their national interest and do not compromise even with powerful states. 

Bases of Ms political philosophy.

SUREMACY OF STATE OVER morality, Religion. ALL OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 

His political philosophy was based on Scientific and empirical study of his and past time. He played a pivotal role in rooting out rivalries of France, Spain and German. He strived for the restoration of peace, economic prosperity and political independence in Italy. He expounded theory of the art of government, pleaded a strong government aiming at achieving political integration, limited the role of religious institutions. During the renaissance, Florence was the cradle of Italian knowledge and learning. For M virtue, consist in power, which results from a mixture of force and intellect. He elevated the position of state above all institutions whether religious or political. He believed that state was the highest form of association through which man could materialize his ends and live a perfect and virtuous life.  When the existence of state confronts grave threat there must not be any consideration of what is just or unjust, merciful or cruel. State is indispensable instrument for human welfare. He gave priority to the state welfare  than the wellbeing of the individuals. He laid the foundation of modern Nationalism.

The history reveals the fact that for the glorification of the state people went to war and inflicted heavy cruelties on humanity irrespective of color, race, origin, and religion. The European colonial powers followed this eternal principle and ultimately conquered the entire world by killing millions of people. The European colonial powers conquered Africa, N & S America, and Asia.  The USA also followed this principle and dropped the atomic bomb to secure their country from foes and friends in the future. Any state howsoever powerful not dares to fight US keeping in view the past events of interaction. USSR and China also strived for the glorification of their state and assumed the status of a superpower. Muslim countries could not strive so much to glorify their state remains subjugated despite political independence and abundant economic resources.  

The supremacy of State over Religion.

M does not believe in any ethical or religious dogmas and divine law practiced by clergy. in his view religious authorities were misusing the religion and held them responsible for the deterioration of Italy. He concluded that the institution of Papacy brought decline and destruction to the glory of Rome. Religion failed to solve the social, political, and economic problems of people and state. Machiavelli saw religion as man-made, and that the value of religion lies in its contribution to social order. Religion in the hand of popes makes a man weak and inactive. For Machiavelli, a prince should make his people religious.

According to his, Philosophy State is most essential of all institutions for the protection and promotion of human welfare. His only motive as Italian was the exaltation of his state for that he despised all institutions, which harmed Italy. The Individuals were only bound to follow the laws of ethics and morality in social relationships with each other. The state must adopt the principle of expediency for its safety and integrity even usurp and violates social and political rights and moral canons. Therefore, he intentionally segregated politics from religion and pleaded that states should not be governed on principles of religion and morality. M imparts priority to the state and places it superior to morality and religion.

This principle of state supremacy is rampant in the third world and Muslim countries until today. Their ruler used this principle of expediency in time of crises to take state out of crises. He advocated the idea of secularism. According to his philosophy, politics should be non-religious. The moral and religious percepts should be subordinate to the interest of the state. The church and religious authorities’ should exist within the state not above the state, blindly obey and not defy the state institutions. The modern states like Great Britain, France, USA, Russia, China and India have adopted this principle of secularism and as a result achieved economic prosperity and political stability. It is a believed that Machiavelli was not irreligious but not religious, not immoral but unmoral. He believed that religion is social cement and binds the people and without which state could not exist. He was the father of secularism. He emancipated politics from theology and moral philosophy. He undertook to describe simply what rulers actually did and thus anticipated what was later called the scientific spirit in which questions of good and bad are ignored.

Form of Government..

His philosophy regarding form of govt was a mixed type of constitution with proper checks and balances was most suitable for state and economic equality. The best constitution is one that apportions legal rights among princes, nobles and people in proportion to their real power, for under such constitution, revolution is not possible. He realized that different forms of govt suited different times and places. To him an elected powerful monarchy would be best suited to Italy. That leads to more uniform and universal material prosperity and ensure greater equality of opportunity. Elected Monarchy is stable and enduring admitting liberty more than unpopular Monarchies or dictatorship. His chief objective was efficiency and integrity of the state, for this end, he wanted an extra-legal all-powerful sovereign to regain past glory and emancipate Italy from the foreign powers i-e German, French and Spanish who had snatched the political and economic power by their mutual conflicts and clashes. Hence, M wanted to revive the ancient glory and greatness of the state by establishing a despotic and absolute republic form of govt.

The major powers of world adopted republican form of government achieved political stability and economic prosperity. The example of USA, Great Britain, France and other countries vindicate this doctrine. After the end of World War 11, newly emerged states of world were not allowed by powerful countries to reap the fruits of Republican form of government. The powerful countries deliberately kept them in a state of civil war on ideological grounds. In the course of time and end of cold war, these countries freed themselves and adopted republican form of government and marching to stability and prosperity.

Position of Man in his Philosophy.  Machiavelli said that ambition and interest is inherent part of human nature therefore war is inevitable among them and states. The modern arms race is continuation of his principles of safety of individual and state as whole. The nations and civilization that ignored achieving power to deter others collapsed or subjugated by powerful states. M considered man brute and combination of evil instincts. Man behaves in good manner only for material gain or in fear of reaction. Without economic prosperity, man becomes brute and ready to harm interest of his fellow man.  The people of Europe were brutal and selfish, after securing economic prosperity by plundering the resources of world they are not fighting with each other while the people of poor states are still in a state of war. He advocated giving more powers to people after attaining lost glory of Italy. People are sagacious to show judgment in selection of officers of par-excellence for state administration, who must work freely and independently than a Prince who is vulnerable by court intrigues and influences. 

Prince is actually roadmap presented to the Medici, the Prince of Florence. It is a memorandum on the art of govt and state diplomacy. It gives an awe-inspiring technique for successful governance and rulership and guide not only of his time but also of the succeeding times for making state politically stable, socially coherent and economically powerful.  According to his philosophy, Prince must possess the qualities of wisdom, egoism, selfishness and inelinations. A prince must not repose confidence on his foes and friends. He prescribed that all despotic means must be used for effective rule and above all state stability. His prince was vested with unlimited powers to maintain tranquility and peace at whatever cost. The prince may use the religion to achieve state stability. He said that for effective control and decisively prevailing upon domineering powers to shatter ulterior design against state a strong military is sin-qua-non. Muslim rulers neglected the strong military on modern patterns lost their empires to powerful colonial powers equipped with modern military. The doctrine who rules the waves rules the World proved. 

INFLUENCE ON FUTURE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY> His posthumous work have contributed to the modern connotation of the word politics. He was a major source of the republicanism that spread throughout England and North America in the 17th and 18th centuries. Machiavelli's ideas had a profound impact on political leaders throughout the world. his influence was evident in non-republican governments of Europe and North America. In fact, he influenced both Catholic and Protestant kings throughout Europe. The succeeding philosophers were in greatly influenced by his philosophy. Some philosophers accused Machiavelli of being an atheist and  his works as the "Koran of the courtiers",. Jean-Jacques Rousseau viewed Machiavelli's work as a satirical piece in which Machiavelli exposes the faults of a one-man rule rather than exalting amorality. His philosophy proved Who rules the waves rules the world