Social life in medieval and modern ItalyNicolo Macchiavelli and the princeAt the end of the 14th century, Italy was still politically organized by city-states. Emerging as one of the most influential writers of the Renaissance, Niccolo Machiavelli was a political analyst whose goal was to liberate Italy from foreign domination, as well as to unite and strengthen the Italian city-states. Machiavelli believed that Italy could only be united if its leader was ruthless. In 1513 he wrote his best-known work, The Prince, in which he describes the means by which a prince can acquire and maintain his power. Machiavelli advises his leaders to be kind only if it suits their goals. Otherwise, he warns, it is better to be feared than loved. Machiavelli is considered one of the great modern analyzers of political power. Born in Florence in 1469 and living until 1527, Niccolo Machiavelli experienced what we today consider the height of the Italian Renaissance - a period that produced some of the greatest Italian achievements in the arts and sciences, but which also gave rise to horrible scandals and the establishment of foreign companies. domination over the peninsula (Microsoft Encarta 99). He grew up under the rule of the Medici family and learned to read and write Latin while studying the classics. Humanist ideals were popular within the Florentine government, and although Machiavelli's family was neither wealthy nor aristocratic, they were supporters of the city's leading humanists. Machiavelli showed a keen interest in the world around him, and through this interest he demonstrated a remarkable capacity for learning. By the age of seven he had begun his formal education, and by age twelve he had completed his primary education and was enrolled in private lessons. He was then accepted to the University of Florence where he studied humanities, literature and science. In 1498, the year Florence became a republic, Machiavelli obtained a position as a government clerk. He quickly rose through the ranks of government and soon became head of the...... middle of paper ...... positions on how a prince should rule and the qualities he should possess are relative to his particular vision of human nature. . Machiavelli believed that, naturally, man is greedy and only cares about himself. So I agree with Machiavelli's view that it is better for a prince to be feared rather than loved, because I agree that people will be less likely to oppose the ruler when they are afraid of him. the consequences. Machiavelli was perhaps 350 years ahead of his time with his vision of a united Italy and his unique thoughts forever changed the face of political science. Works Cited • Machiavelli, Niccolo, Ed. Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. The Prince, The University of Chicago Press., 1985. • “Machiavelli, Niccolo,” Encyclopedia Britannica CD 98 ©1994-1998 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. • “ Machiavelli, Niccolo”, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 ©1993-1998 Microsoft Corp..