The Prince

The Prince 
By Niccolo Machiavelli
Published in 1532
170 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5

The Prince is a fascinating pamphlet written by the legendary 16th century Italian political consultant Machiavelli. Its reputation is warranted - its pages seep with evil.

Machiavelli is the anti-libertarian. This is not a guidebook for rulers on how they can achieve a peaceful and prosperous state; instead it is a manual on how to retain political power regardless of how prosperous a state is. He famously called for rulers to do whatever it took to maintain power - to cheat, lie, steal, and betray one’s promises.

His writing style is very clear and crisp. He is understandable even through the lens of translation and 500 years of history. He backs up every recommendation by numerous examples, both from his own day and from ancient history.

I recommend reading this book to understand the mentality of the deep state. Know thy enemy. Machiavelli’s ideas have both directly and indirectly influenced many of today’s politicians. Machiavelli’s ghost cannot be defeated without reading Machiavelli.

​