Watergate in The Book "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli

In his book The Prince, Niccolo Machiaveli explains how to be a good prince and how to be a good ruler. Machiavelli’s ‘Prince’ has existed for more than 500 years, affecting many great and many terrible leaders, but I believe that the political leader embodying Machiavelli’s principle is the 37th President of the United States Richard · Nixon. During Nixon’s presidency, even before trying to win more infamous Watergate scandals, Nixon had followed Machiavelli’s principles of destruction, deception, and cover-up. ‘Anyone who has been striving to be a good person is destined to die among many unwholesome people.’ As a result, a prince who wants to maintain his strength must learn how not to do good, not to abuse his talents. Machiavelli believes that one of the most prominent themes of how princes should rule and maintain their power is wealth. When it comes to wealth, Machiavelli refers to luck, destiny, or opportunity. Wealth can be useful or beneficial, or it can be harmful or dangerous. Machiavelli believes that Money controls part of a person ’s life and talent controlls the other half.

Machiavelli argues that someone can gain power through his own abilities or good luck. Good luck can probably come in the form of being born, buying power, or assigning government status. Machiavelli believes that being lucky and taking power is very easy, but taking power with his own abilities is very difficult. On the other hand, maintaining power after gaining by fate is very difficult, but maintaining power after gaining by virtue is fairly easy. What Machiavelli speculates about is that those who are lucky and in power ‘rest only on the will and fortune of the one who gave them the condition.’ They don’t know how to hold, nor can they hold that rank. In other words, Machiavelli believes that individuals who have gained power through good fortune cannot maintain power well because they do not have the experience and infrastructure necessary to effectively lead the nation.

President Nixon served as President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. His Presidency of the United States was destroyed by the scandal. Due to the Watergate incident, he resigned as president in 1974. This is similar to the good deeds of Prince Machiavelli. Machiavelli said that if the prince wants to maintain power by doing things, he must learn and practice, not stand to the right or do good deeds. This is because doing the right thing will affect many bad people. President Nixon’s actions violated Prince Machiavelli’s principle. This article focuses on the reasons why Machiavelli’s principle does not apply to President Nixon’s case, focusing on Nixon’s failures, such as the Cambodian explosion and Watergate. President Nixon does not represent Prince Machiavelli. Before taking power, President Nixon promised to end the Vietnam War because most of the American soldiers were killed in the war. Contrary to expectations, he launched and approved the bombing in North Vietnam to intimidate the leaders of the region. He did not withdraw his soldiers, against the wishes of American leaders and the public. He tried to act on his own behalf and ignored the suggestions of other war leaders and experts.

The Watergate incident killed the president and damaged his image as a national leader nationally and internationally. Before his reassignment, leaders and country were planning to impeach him because the scandal occurred under his supervision. The scandal exposed the improper means used by the Nixon government to influence and harass the opposition and radicals to maintain their dominance. In addition, it involves money laundering and misuse of public funds. The scandal showed that Nixon did not act inside Prince Machiavelli. Also, the executives who implemented President Nixon ’s declaration and the policy of providing services to the public used force and improper conduct. Forty-eight prominent officials were convicted of wrongdoing, including Mark Felt, who tried to cover up the scandal by treating it as pure politics. Therefore, President Nixon did not manage his own government, but resorted to the misfortune of the opposition. This is one of the main reasons for his final collapse. If the prince cannot tame his followers or support his appointment as he did, then the reign is short-lived

Nixons actions were contrary to Machiavelli’s views about the prince due to his actions, leadership style and failure to effectively manage and control people close to him. He resigned at a time the country needed him to intervene and defend his administration against the mistakes done. Protestors demanded his impeachment because they lost confidence in him. The political class in America and Nixon’s own party disowned him. By bombing the Vietnamese, President Nixon planned to scare and intimidate the Vietnamese in to surrendering without opposition. The American citizens were extremely disappointed as they overwhelmingly voted him in for the second term because his first term was very successful through establishment of peace deals such as the Chinese peace deal of 1972

fate is very difficult, but maintaining power after gaining by virtue is fairly easy. What Machiavelli speculates about is that those who are lucky and in power ‘rest only on the will and fortune of the one who gave them the condition.’ They don’t know how to hold, nor can they hold that rank. In other words, Machiavelli believes that individuals who have gained power through good fortune cannot maintain power well because they do not have the experience and infrastructure necessary to effectively lead the nation.

President Nixon served as President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. His Presidency of the United States was destroyed by the scandal. Due to the Watergate incident, he resigned as president in 1974. This is similar to the good deeds of Prince Machiavelli. Machiavelli said that if the prince wants to maintain power by doing things, he must learn and practice, not stand to the right or do good deeds. This is because doing the right thing will affect many bad people. President Nixon’s actions violated Prince Machiavelli’s principle. This article focuses on the reasons why Machiavelli’s principle does not apply to President Nixon’s case, focusing on Nixon’s failures, such as the Cambodian explosion and Watergate. President Nixon does not represent Prince Machiavelli. Before taking power, President Nixon promised to end the Vietnam War because most of the American soldiers were killed in the war. Contrary to expectations, he launched and approved the bombing in North Vietnam to intimidate the leaders of the region. He did not withdraw his soldiers, against the wishes of American leaders and the public. He tried to act on his own behalf and ignored the suggestions of other war leaders and experts.

The Watergate incident killed the president and damaged his image as a national leader nationally and internationally. Before his reassignment, leaders and country were planning to impeach him because the scandal occurred under his supervision. The scandal exposed the improper means used by the Nixon government to influence and harass the opposition and radicals to maintain their dominance. In addition, it involves money laundering and misuse of public funds. The scandal showed that Nixon did not act inside Prince Machiavelli. Also, the executives who implemented President Nixon ’s declaration and the policy of providing services to the public used force and improper conduct. Forty-eight prominent officials were convicted of wrongdoing, including Mark Felt, who tried to cover up the scandal by treating it as pure politics. Therefore, President Nixon did not manage his own government, but resorted to the misfortune of the opposition. This is one of the main reasons for his final collapse. If the prince cannot tame his followers or support his appointment as he did, then the reign is short-lived

Nixons actions were contrary to Machiavelli’s views about the prince due to his actions, leadership style and failure to effectively manage and control people close to him. He resigned at a time the country needed him to intervene and defend his administration against the mistakes done. Protestors demanded his impeachment because they lost confidence in him. The political class in America and Nixon’s own party disowned him. By bombing the Vietnamese, President Nixon planned to scare and intimidate the Vietnamese in to surrendering without opposition.

The American citizens were extremely disappointed as they overwhelmingly voted him in for the second term because his first term was very successful through establishment of peace deals such as the Chinese peace deal of 1972.

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