Machiavelli – The Prince (Il Principe)

“The Prince is widely regarded as the most influential book on politics ever written. Its observations on the human condition are as relevant today as they were five hundred years ago. In his book Machiavelli writes to gain the favor of the ruling Medici Family by offering advice on how might a prince gain power and how to keep that power. Although the modern connotation of a prince is a majestic man, who is destined to rule his people and is loved by all, the princes of Machiavelli’s time were by no means this romantic and were constantly engaged in wars and struggling to maintain power over their claims. The methods described by Machiavelli in The Prince can still be applied for use today as much as they could during its writing. However, certain principles should be taken into consideration for application in contemporary life, as the advice Machiavelli is offering throughout his book is intended only to serve the selfish interests of the prince and not the needs of the people.”More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince