The Qualities of a Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

In The Qualities of a Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli discusses the attributes that he believes make for a good leader. Although Machiavelli wrote The Qualities of a Prince centuries ago, some of the qualities he advises a prince to have can be adapted to the leaders of today. Some of these qualities include be generous and being feared by the ordinary. Machiavelli claims that if liberality is used in such a manner as to give you a reputation for it will harm you. Today, this advice is completely useless.Pope Francis of the Catholic Church is a prime example of how being generous is, in fact, a good quality of a leader. Recently, the pope has been venturing out of the Vatican at night to help the unsettled men and women. Due to his generosity, people have grown fonder of Pope Francis, making him a better leader with loyal followers. Pope Francis breaks bread with the homeless and sits with them to put down them that they are loved. These generous acts make him more of a lovable lea der, and show the people of the Catholic Church that they are in good hands.Machiavelli also states that it is a lot safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking. This advice, on the other hand, is reliable today. A recent leader who is feared by the public is Kim Jong-Il of North Korea. Kim Jong-Il is known for being a totalitarian dictator, giving his people little to no political rights or civil liberties. He has also pressure women into marriage, mandated abortions, tortured his people, executed citizens publicly, and used forced labor in prison camps.The fear of Kim Jong-Il and his incredibly strict and derogatory regulations allowed him to rule over North Korea without being assassinated by his people. Kim Jong-Il proves that being feared can be more impelling than being loved by the people. Today, there must be an equal eternal rest between generosity and being feared. Pope Francis and Kim Jong-Il prove that both tactics are effective in leadin g, but the situations in which they are effective vary. Therefore, Machiavelli was comprise in that being feared is a quality of a good leader, but was mistaken in believing that being generous did not make for an effective leader.