Matching Items (3)
Description
This paper is an in-depth analysis of the actions and rhetoric of Donald Trump’s presidency from the perspective of Machiavelli’s most famed work, 'The Prince'. Its premise is born from two articles claiming Donald Trump was either the American Machiavelli or the Anti-Machiavelli, and sets out to find out which title is the most accurate. The end findings suggest that President Trump did not follow enough rules in 'The Prince' to be Machiavellian, but that Trumpism as a political doctrine has the potential grow into a modern day Machiavellianism.
ContributorsSandy, Charlotte Rose (Author) / Simhony, Avital (Thesis director) / Lennon, Tara (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies, Sch (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
In critical conversation about the political theory of Game of Thrones, academics are often quick to compare the series with Machiavellian ideals and therefore assert that The Prince can be used as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the way that Game of Thrones characters cope with political intrigue. Those who compare Game of Thrones and The Prince argue that because of the political realism and similar notions of human nature in Game of Thrones, the series perpetuates Machiavelli's idea that goodness and morality are not sufficient means by which to gain and sustain political power. When Game of Thrones began, many speculated that it adopted Machiavelli's deeply pragmatic paradigm of a successful ruler, but as the series progressed it seemed to reveal a more idealistic theory of leadership. This paper explores the relationship between these two works to determine if Game of Thrones ultimately perpetuates Machiavelli's philosophies about how to successfully acquire and maintain political power. After comparing the political tactics set forth in The Prince to the actions of the characters considered most idealistic and most Machiavellian in Game of Thrones, it is determined that Game of Thrones conclusively embraces Machiavelli's attitude toward successful political leadership, as the characters who seem to be most idealistic ultimately act in alignment with the theories set forth in The Prince.
ContributorsKlosterman, Meredith R. (Co-author) / Arterburn, Natalie (Co-author) / Fette, Don (Thesis director) / Stanford, Michael (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This qualitative study examined one perennial research question: What lessons from the works of Machiavelli can be taken into consideration to improve U.S. civil-military relations? A case for looking at Machiavelli’s works for solutions to improve military relations off the battlefield is established. This research found two primary themes within the realm of civil-military relations: civilian control of the military and the military doctrine and practices. The researcher examined and analyzed multiple forms of data, including the writings of Machiavelli, military policies, articles, reports from the department of defense, video recordings of interviews, legislation, and historical documents. The researcher analyzed Machiavelli’s The Prince, Discourses on Livy, Art of War, and secondary resources for La Cagione dell’Ordinanza to make conclusions. This research identified lessons from the works of Machiavelli to improve U.S. civil-military relations. The Machiavellian lessons included finding a balance of objective and subjective control of the military, ensuring the president is knowledgeable on military matters, placing an emphasis on conditioning our youth, funding weapons systems and equipment, and continuing to invest in the standing army. Limitations and Future research topics were suggested in the conclusion.Keywords: Machiavelli, civil-military relations, civilian control, military doctrine, task-organization
ContributorsWright, Danny (Author) / Zuckert, Catherine (Thesis advisor) / Seagrave, Stephen (Thesis advisor) / Stantchev, Stefan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022