Machiavelli's The Prince is often regarded as the beginning of political science as we now understand the term. Political theory is much older, at least as old as Plato, but it was "static," seeking an ideal of the state, based for example on a conception of happiness (Plato 369ff). Machiavelli introduced a way of thinking about political dynamics: how political leaders can respond to ever-changing circumstances in the real world.
The Prince is essentially a handbook for political leaders. Most specifically it is a handbook for "princes" of the Renaissance Italian type û in modern terms, dictators or strongmen, who have little institutional or traditional basis of legitimacy, and are kept in power largely by their own personal prestige, backed up if necessary by force. Hereditary monarchs, born to long-established dynasties, have the additional support of people's loyalty to long-established dynasties (Machiavelli 5-6). Machiavelli also wrote another book, The Discourses, which is in effect a guidebook for republics, and foreshadows many ideas found in the American Constitution. The Prince, however, deals with power politics in its rawest form.
A prince in Machiavelli's sense (who might be a "princess," e.g., Caterina Sforza) has little or no institutional or traditional support. Ambitious rivals are always waiting in the wings, looking for a chance to stage a coup and become prince themselves. A prince can therefore take nothing for granted. Power, however, is ultimately a matter of perception; we have it if people think we have it. If a leader seems weak, ambitious rivals will pounce, or try to pounce; if the leader seems strong and formidable, even ambitious people will think twice before threatening him.
Perception is what underlies Machiavelli's suggestion that it is better to be feared than loved (Machiavelli 60-63). We may feel affection for a leader, bu
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