At the
Guardian Rohan McWilliam tagged ten of the greatest political founding works, including:
The Prince by Machiavelli (1532)
Machiavelli’s The Prince is still essential reading for all leaders, but it has damaged the author’s reputation. His advice was that leaders should seek to be feared, rather than loved. An effective leader had to be prepared to engage in immoral skulduggery and duplicity in order to stay at the top. Cunning and military force were essential attributes. In the age of conniving Renaissance princes, this was good advice, but it has led to politicians being seen as ruthless and two-faced. If Machiavelli were around today, he would be writing scripts for House of Cards.
Read about
the other entries on the list.
--Marshal Zeringue
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