Why Do You Think The Other Qualities That A Leader Possesss?

How is being feared rather than loved the superior quality that a leader should possess? Niccolò Machiavelli states in the “Qualities of the Prince” that “One should like to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved” (14). Determining which of these two qualities a leader should possess has been a topic of discussion for centuries. So what makes Machiavelli’s work any different? First off, Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat and a political philosopher, who wrote about politics and power. The biggest element that separates Machiavelli’s work from other philosophers is that he focuses his attention on the goal of power. While doing so, not only did he learn how
According to Machiavelli, “Since men love at their own pleasure and fear at the pleasure of the prince, a wise prince should build his foundation upon that which belongs to him, not upon that which belongs to others: he must strive only to avoid hatred” (18). With Machiavelli’s advice, being loved is no way for a leader to lead, because it displays weakness and predictability. On the contrary, being feared not only shows power and discipline, but is leads to being respected. A leader who is feared will overpower those who are loved, because “love is fickle” (Ledeen 18). In recent history, there has been many great leaders who had led by fear, such as Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein. Even though these particular leaders were violent dictators, they are still considered as some of the greatest leaders of all time. On the other hand, many of today’s leaders are known for being loved rather than feared, for example, Barrack
Adolph Hitler is a good example of this, and even though he was loved, he was primarily feared. Hitler believed that it would be more effective to have people fear him than to love him. For example, Hitler dominated the Jews, making millions of people throughout the world fear him. It was Hitler’s goal to take over the world, and not only was he successful in invading over ten countries, but he was respected, making him one of the greatest leaders of all time. Similar to Hitler, there was Saddam Hussein, who also led by fear. Saddam Hussein had similar goals, although Hitler wanted control over the whole world, Hussein only wanted control over the Middle East. Machiavelli says that “A prince must not worry about the reproach of cruelty when it is a matter of keeping his subjects united and loyal” (12). In my opinion, both Hitler and Hussein led this way. They were both cruel, but their “subjects” remained “united and