Whether it is the morally corrupt politician of your constituency or the anti-hero of the latest political web series that you’ve been binging, Machiavellianism is a term which has been sensationalized and to some extent means, a person who will go to any means for personal gains. The term has been used in political discussions and pop culture with a lot of liberty. The term also has a negative connotation attached to it and has come to be identified as a villainous trait and any person with the trait is straight-identified as evil. Tracing Machiavelli and the role his theory plays today can be a daunting task as the only certified sources are his books. Even in those, the context is rarely identified by the readers.
HISTORY AND MEANING
Niccolo Machiavelli was a 15th-century Italian political scientist who was a minister of the king. His most celebrated work is The Prince, in which he identified how a prince should gain and maintain power. He gives a hardcore realistic standpoint, in which he professes to conquer new land to strengthen the kingdom. Further, he states that one needs to be vigilant to rising minority revolts. Also, in case of any threat to power, the leader should wipe it off in a single stroke. The last key teaching that he gives is that a leader should rather be feared than loved.
This basic understanding of what Machiavelli teaches will helps us work out what role Machiavellianism play today in our society where the ‘American Dream’ has surpassed the boundaries of American and everyone is trying to get the biggest share of the pie. This dream has surpassed the corporate world and has become more evident in politics, even though politics and Machiavellianism go hand in hand; today we are seeing that at an unprecedented level.
COPORATE WORLD AND MACHIAVELLI
The private world has become the bloodline of the world economy and to say that it is the most important economic aspect would be an understatement. Private entities have existed for a long time in human history but it is in the last century that it has become a major phenomenon. Today, Machiavellianism has seeped into the corporate world. There have been numerous books and scholarly articles depicting how the corporate world has become a vicious cycle in which those at the top remain there along with those at the bottom subjugated to lower positions. There have been rising cases of money laundering to preserve the money and consequently power. Today the ‘American Dream’ has become synonymous to doing anything and everything to attain success. It is a world with the main incentive profit and greed. There have been cynical depictions in movies and books about how the common man is screwed just to gain profit. All this added with the corporate rivalries.
The rivalry between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs is one of the most brutal ones even though most of the new generation doesn’t even know about it. Further, the controversy surrounding the founding of Facebook was another instance where greed trumped morality. Usually, we do not identify the corporate world with what we usually refer to as Machiavellian, maybe because it seems more sophisticated than politics and more importantly, we are a part of it, even unknowingly at times. The power that the corporate world possesses is something that few can dream of, but this blanket that the private world is given is what makes it scarier. All it takes is one huge blunder and the whole economy will collapse. The 2008 Crisis was the prime example, where the American banks gave house loans and mortgages at a rate which was basically non-returnable and then we saw the markets crashing; the ripple effect of which was felt across the globe. This corporate espionage of the ‘American Dream’ puts all of us in morally ambiguous situations and this is what Machiavelli feared.
POLITICS AND MACHIAVELLI
One possibly cannot write down the whole dynamic between politics and Machiavelli. The very foundation of Machiavellianism was based on politics. What we see today is that the politicians are implementing what Machiavelli taught in a near-perfect manner. All of his tenets of greed, conquering more, restricting minority revolts are being implemented in a way that maybe even Machiavelli wouldn’t have thought. It was during the European Wars of Religion when both sides had consensus on only one thing, i.e. Machiavelli is responsible for such wars and distrust. And that has continued for centuries that followed. Coming to the current century, the Arab Spring is the biggest example of this theory. There was a string of leaders who had forced their rule for decades were finally being thrown over after years of repression. Further, examples go beyond one can think of.
Within India, BJP’s recent strategy of turning Congress MLAs on their side can also be seen as a similar tactic. In India, it is Kautilya who provides similar teachings and has come to be rightly known as the ‘Machiavelli of India’. Now, from this, it established that politics cannot survive without the theories of Machiavelli. Even if one person is strictly against it, he/she will simply not be able to sustain power in a world where 99 others are staunch disciples. This has put even politics a morally questionable vocation. It is also true that such political thought and tactics existed long before Machiavelli was even born, but it is to his credit that he was able to understand all of it and present it to the people.
POPULAR CULTURE AND MACHIAVELLI
It is impossible for a human trait, which has sustained itself for nearly 600 years does not get affected by pop culture. Ever since his book The Prince came out, scholars worried about the impact that this book will have. The first time that we saw such a character was when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth and was able to include the word Machiavellian in his text. The play was applauded by thousands and that’s when Machiavellian became a part of the folklore.
After that, we have seen books, movies, TV series and even journalism including the term and creating a representation which presents the character. The book along with its US and UK series adaptation of House of Cards is one of the prime examples. The main character keeps breaking the fourth wall, clarifying to the reader and viewers, how devious his plans were. TV shows like Game of Thrones feature a prominent character with Machiavellian traits. A few of these characters are referred to as anti-heroes because, at the end of the day, we can relate to these characters and their lust for power. We understand why that particular character is doing what he/she is doing even if we don’t align with their moral leanings.
One of the prime examples is Breaking Bad lead character, Walter White, who is a normal Chemistry high school teacher at the very start, is diagnosed with cancer, and eventually by the end of the series, and becomes a mastermind drug lord, who will backstab his own family and closest ally, just to earn money. The former teacher even goes to the length of killing just to maintain his power at the very top of the drug ring. In many polls, Walter White has been chosen as the favourite TV character of millions. The depiction is Machiavellian in its purest form, since he is feared and loathed by all the characters in the show, and still loved by the viewers.
This sort of dynamic is visible in most of the movies that we watch today but rarely understand. Such characters have been so deeply embedded in our pop culture that we see them as just another character. Maybe the problem is not as deep as some of Machiavelli’s critics would like to be viewed as and it is just a natural inclination towards watching and reading characters that are as complex as the viewers and readers themselves. Nonetheless, whether positive or negative, one can never deny the role and influence of Machiavelli and his teachings in pop culture today.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I will be stating two things. First, understanding Machiavelli is not just important for political scientists, but also economists, philosophers, practitioners of psychology and sociology and all of us. Because, whether we like it or not, Machiavelli and his teachings exist in every part of our life, in one form or the other. Secondly, Machiavelli and his teachings are not as cynical as they sound and they can easily be used for the benefit of those who it is meant to repress. Back in his days, Machiavelli was eventually banished when a change in power happened. The king he had his loyalty to, was dethroned and the new one didn’t fancy having him around. It is at that time that he wrote The Prince and some scholars say the purpose of his book wasn’t to help the king or the leader but rather the people. He wanted people to know how the leader could unlawfully dominate them and lead them to their ruin. He wanted the people to know this so that they could identify the signs and fight such a leader in whatever capacity they could. He provided them with the material that was needed to save them from their ruin. As Machiavelli himself used to say –
“In order to escape from hell, give the people the way to it so that they could run away from it.”
Featured Illustration: RYAN INZANA
