Putin Essay
John doe
Professor XXXXX
English 101
12 February 2013
Feared but Hated.
Machiavelli has advised past leaders to avoid being despised and hated. Cruelty and dreadfulness is simply not enough if it leaves a man open to be conspired against. What is the point of having other traits of a Machiavellian if your dead? Vladimir Putin has used his power to censor news and steal from individuals who have spoken openly about government corruption and conspiracies. Just because one may possess some traits of a Machiavellian, does not make them out to be one. Putin lacks the qualities of a Machiavellian because he breaks two important rules; on not taking from others and being hated by the people.
Machiavelli warns that a significant problem a leader can cause is taking something that doesn’t belong to them (Machiavelli “Qualities of the Prince”). Putin has taken the media into his own hands and has banned any opposition that speaks out against him. For example, a man named Vladimir Guinsky, in charge of a channel called NTV, broadcast a talk show discussing apartment bombings in Moscow that may have been linked to the FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service). The NTV network had been negatively criticizing Putin and his response was ruthless. A week after his inauguration, police raided the headquarters of Gusinsky. He eventually fled the country and was stripped of his TV network, which was given to Gazprom, the state gas company (Bullough “One Man Versus The People”). In addition, a similar fate came to another channel called ORT, owned by Boris Berezovsky, who criticized Putin’s handling of a submarine disaster that killed 118 men. Furthermore, the richest man of Russia at the time, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, began using his wealth and power to stop parliament from passing tax changes. He told Putin that his top aides were corrupt during a Kremlin meeting. Putin responded negatively, launching a campaign against Khodorkovsky, as a result leading to his arrest for
Professor XXXXX
English 101
12 February 2013
Feared but Hated.
Machiavelli has advised past leaders to avoid being despised and hated. Cruelty and dreadfulness is simply not enough if it leaves a man open to be conspired against. What is the point of having other traits of a Machiavellian if your dead? Vladimir Putin has used his power to censor news and steal from individuals who have spoken openly about government corruption and conspiracies. Just because one may possess some traits of a Machiavellian, does not make them out to be one. Putin lacks the qualities of a Machiavellian because he breaks two important rules; on not taking from others and being hated by the people.
Machiavelli warns that a significant problem a leader can cause is taking something that doesn’t belong to them (Machiavelli “Qualities of the Prince”). Putin has taken the media into his own hands and has banned any opposition that speaks out against him. For example, a man named Vladimir Guinsky, in charge of a channel called NTV, broadcast a talk show discussing apartment bombings in Moscow that may have been linked to the FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service). The NTV network had been negatively criticizing Putin and his response was ruthless. A week after his inauguration, police raided the headquarters of Gusinsky. He eventually fled the country and was stripped of his TV network, which was given to Gazprom, the state gas company (Bullough “One Man Versus The People”). In addition, a similar fate came to another channel called ORT, owned by Boris Berezovsky, who criticized Putin’s handling of a submarine disaster that killed 118 men. Furthermore, the richest man of Russia at the time, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, began using his wealth and power to stop parliament from passing tax changes. He told Putin that his top aides were corrupt during a Kremlin meeting. Putin responded negatively, launching a campaign against Khodorkovsky, as a result leading to his arrest for
Cited: 1. Jacobus, Lee A. "Machiavelli: Qualities of the Prince." A world of ideas: Essential readings for college writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2006. 39 – 52. Print. 2. Bullough, Oliver. “One Man Versus The People. (Cover Story).” New Statesman 141.5095 (2012) : 26 MasterFILE Premier. Web. 2 Aug. 2012