The Municipal Machiavelli

Machiavelli's The Prince Rewritten for Municipal Politicians

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  • Home
  • Chapters 1-7
    • 1: Home Town Kingdoms
    • 2: Why Incumbents Rule Municipalities
    • 3: Newcomers Versus Incumbents
    • 4: Flexing Your Muscles
    • 5: Troublesome Incumbents & Staff
    • 6: New Ideas Make Enemies
    • 7: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?
  • Chapters 8-14
    • 8: Does the End Justify the Means?
    • 9: Problems Newcomers Face
    • 10: Defending Your Position
    • 11: Agencies You Can’t Control
    • 12: Crafty Consultants
    • 13: Dangerous Lobbyists
    • 14: Learn the Rules of War
  • Chapters 15-21
    • 15: Looking Good, Acting Bad
    • 16: Parsimony Beats Generosity
    • 17: Better to be Feared Than Loved
    • 18: The Subtle Art of Lying
    • 19: All You Need Isn’t Love
    • 20: Factions & Fortresses
    • 21: Saving Your Reputation
  • Chapters 22-26
    • 22: Loyal Staff & Wise Advisors
    • 23: Avoid Flatterers & Sycophants
    • 24: How Not to be Re-Elected
    • 25: Skill Beats Luck Every Time
    • 26: The Forest and the Trees
  • Addenda
    • Opening & Dedication
    • Introduction
    • Biography
    • About The Prince
    • Machiavelli’s Rules
    • Machiavellian Misquotes
    • Why Machiavelli Matters
    • Translating Machiavelli
    • Bibliography
  • Misc.
    • Demonizing Machiavelli
    • The Art of War
    • The Ten Faults
    • Quotes from Machiavelli
    • Other Quotes
    • Letter to Francesco Vettori

Chapters 8-14

Click the chapter to go to that page:

  • Chapter 8: Does the End Justify the Means?
  • Chapter 9: Problems Newcomers Face
  • Chapter 10: Defending Your Position
  • Chapter 11: Agencies You Can’t Control
  • Chapter 12: Crafty Consultants
  • Chapter 13: Dangerous Lobbyists
  • Chapter 14: Learn the Rules of War

~~~~~

  • Chapters 1-7
  • Chapters 15-21
  • Chapters 22-26
  • Addenda

~~~~~

The Prince by Chapter:

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV XXVI

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Chapters

  • Opening Quotes & Dedication
  • Introduction
  • 1: Home Town Kingdoms
  • 2: Why Incumbents Rule Municipalities
  • 3: Newcomers Versus Incumbents
  • 4: Flexing Your Muscles
  • 5: Troublesome Incumbents & Staff
  • 6: New Ideas Make Enemies
  • 7: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?
  • 8: Does the End Justify the Means?
  • 9: Problems Newcomers Face
  • 10: Defending Your Position
  • 11: Agencies You Can’t Control
  • 12: Crafty Consultants
  • 13: Dangerous Lobbyists
  • 14: Learn the Rules of War
  • 15: Looking Good, Acting Bad
  • 16: Parsimony Beats Generosity
  • 17: Better to be Feared Than Loved
  • 18: The Subtle Art of Lying
  • 19: All You Need Isn’t Love
  • 20: Factions & Fortresses
  • 21: Saving Your Reputation
  • 22: Loyal Staff & Wise Advisors
  • 23: Avoid Flatterers & Sycophants
  • 24: How Not to be Re-Elected
  • 25: Skill Beats Luck Every Time
  • 26: The Forest and the Trees

Addenda

  • A Brief Biography
  • About The Prince
  • Demonizing Machiavelli
  • Why Machiavelli Matters
  • Machiavelli’s Rules
  • Machiavellian Misquotes
  • Translating Machiavelli
  • Machiavelli’s The Art of War
  • The Ten Faults
  • Quotes from Machiavelli
  • Other Quotes
  • Letter to Francesco Vettori
  • Bibliography & Sources

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Excerpts:

About The Prince

Il Principe, or The Prince, is a short book of 26 chapters, and roughly 30,000 words. Most modern editions are fewer than 100 pages, including an introduction and perhaps a glossary. It’s elegantly written, although the author used run-on sentences a lot. Newer editions break up those long pieces into more digestible portions.

It was written [...]

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Chapter 5: Troublesome Incumbents & Staff

Machiavelli wrote that there were three courses of action to take in any state that had enjoyed its independence and freedom before being taken over. Think of this ‘independent state’ as your municipality before you were elected. His advice directs you in ways to deal with staff and returning incumbents in order to consolidate your power:

“The [...]

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Chapter 8: Does the End Justify the Means?

Machiavelli knew full well that politicians could and did rise to power using dirty tricks. He considered deception a fair tool in war. He would have understood all too well today’s political “attack ads” as weapons in the arsenal of a determined political challenger or party:

“One ascends to the principality by some wicked or nefarious [...]

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Machiavelli in Context: an Audio Course

As an aficionado of The Great Courses, it’s always a delight for me to receive a new set of lectures I can listen to in the car or when walking my dog. The wide range of topics and ideas in their catalogue provides a wealth of learning and intellectual exercise for any interest. It’s a [...]

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Demonizing Machiavelli

Criticism of Machiavelli by the church started almost as soon as The Prince was published. One of the earliest English attacks against Machiavelli came from Cardinal Reginald Pole, who wrote an “apology” to Charles V in 1539. He attacks The Prince and Machiavelli himself at length, saying the book had been written by “Satan’s finger.”

According to openshakespeare.org, [...]

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Random quote…

“A prince, therefore, who is attacked by an enemy much more powerful than himself, can make no greater mistake than to refuse to treat, especially when overtures are made to him; for however poor the terms offered may be, they are sure to contain some conditions advantageous for him who accepts them, and which he may construe as a partial success.” — Niccolo Machiavelli, The Discourses: II, 27

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Top Posts & Pages

  • Chapter 17: Better to be Feared Than Loved
  • Chapter 22: Loyal Staff & Wise Advisors
  • Chapter 8: Does the End Justify the Means?
  • Quotes from Machiavelli
  • Chapter 26: The Forest and the Trees
  • Machiavelli and Savonarola
  • Chapter 2: Why Incumbents Rule Municipalities
  • Chapter 7: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?
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