How Machiavellian was Michael Corleone?

Michael Corleone survived law enforcement assassination attempts and even a betrayal by his own brother during his rise to the top IC [Music] but does that necessarily make him Machiavellian hey everybody welcome to another episode here on Bully Whispers And we are here today to evaluate the answer to the question how Machiavellian was Michael Corleone now for viewers new to this series machiavellianism is much more specific than just who's the best schemer or some general notion that the ends justify the means the prince is essentially a how to rule manual for current or aspiring leaders detailing the most effective ways to deal with specific circumstances and different types of people based on Machiavelli's historical observations so how Machiavellian was Michael Corleone in answering that question we will compare his actions with those recommended in the prince starting with his rise to power in the first movie into the second movie where the first real crack in his Machiavellian Persona begins to show through the third movie where many of the ironies about the fact that the prince is so highly regarded in that life come to light as well as one of his most famous lines just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in and how Machiavellian that actually was now it's important to note before getting started that this episode is based solely off the movies while discussions and questions regarding the books are encouraged in the comments section if I started evaluating the books in this episode as well it would turn into kind of like an hour-long documentary as we all know to start the series Michael Corleone has no interest in joining the family business or attaining power which would make him rather un Machiavellian until his father is shot Machiavelli states that people will turn against you quickly if they feel deceived and though he had been raised around it seeing the corruption within the system he fought to defend turned against him may have planted the seeds of switching sides either way at this point he still has no interest in a life of crime only avenging his father but nevertheless it was his first real step into crime according to the prince a leader must in all actions seek the reputation of a great man and in that respect Michael's entrance into the underworld was legendary in executing a hit on both a high-ranking policeman and gangster in that manner and under those circumstances Michael would have cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with even though some continued not to do so which will come into play more in the second movie from here we will move to when veto dies and Michael becomes the true leader because while he may have had a Long Leash under veto we don't know for sure that he wouldn't have stopped Michael from going completely off the rails if he were headed in that direction although a quick side note we do see a very Machiavellian principle come into play with Freda according to the prince you should always be the protector of your weaker neighbor and never let a strong rival gain a foothold there or they will flock to that rival which is exactly what we see from Fredo with Mo green and Fredo definitely qualifies as a weaker neighbor Freda was weak stupid from the point when Michael is first alone at the helm his first major act at the end of the first movie was killing the heads of all the other families and mo Green in one Fell Swoop and there are many conflicting Machiavellian principles at play here according to the Prince When taking over a long-ruling family you need only not rock the boat which clearly this was but the rest of the sentiment is and deal with potential problems quickly and that's where the door gets open to weighing the Machiavellian pros and cons of this action frankly the only real arguments against it are the previously mentioned not rocking the boat and a warning that nothing is more perilous or uncertain of success than trying to install a new order but if you think about it Michael Corleone's whole life is trying to install a new order on the other hand Machiavelli expresses that it's better to be bold than cautious and this was certainly a bold action he also says that it's better to be feared than loved because while you can't make people love you which Michael finds out with his family you can make them fear you when you also consider Machiavelli says that it's much easier for a new Prince to start off violent and then ease up than it is to start off lenient and then get more violent all signs seem to point to this being a very Machiavellian move so at the end of his first movie Michael is secure in his power securing his reputation and according to the prince someone who Rises through ability will always have an easier time staying on top than someone who Rose through family name and Michael Corleone now has both he was in Prime position to take control of the Corleone family and Lead it into the future with his close to clear skies and smooth sailing as possible however beginning in the second Godfather we see him veering off the Machiavellian path according to Machiavelli historically when princes of Italy have lost it's been due to sloth and not Misfortune now while Michael certainly isn't lazy his attempts to legitimize the family have kept him from fully focusing on the underworld where full attention is certainly required also according to Machiavelli long-standing aristocracies like the corleones are easier to conquer because it only takes one upset Baron to gain access to the prince which is where we again run into Fredo and the assassination attempt on Michael Johnny Ola didn't respect Fredo and viewed him as an easy Mark Arena even had the makings of a bus to the athlete successfully using him to gain information to perform a hit now while it can be noted that perhaps Fredo didn't know his admission of resentment lends doubt to that and either way there are plenty of other upset Barons to make that point the timing and frequency of the conspiracies against Michael become interesting especially when compared to his father Vito with veto despite the assassination attempt that we see the audience is still given the impression that this sort of thing never really happens to him the dawn rest in peace was slipping 10 years ago could I have gotten to him according to the prince highly esteemed leaders are harder to conspire against because the conspirators need to fear not only the act itself but retribution afterwards which makes it notable that Michael seems to have a lot more conspiracies against him than we are led to believe that veto had against him perhaps Michael having one foot in and one foot out cost him enough esteem to make that difference that being said he did show two very Machiavellian moments in the second movie first he recognized how much harder the rebels fought than the soldiers according to the prince people who fight for money won't fight as hard as those who fight for a cause and Michael shows a Keen Eye in recognizing this second according to the prince a leader must be like a lion and a fox a lion being strong enough to scare away the enemies and a fox being able to avoid traps by that point everyone knew he was a lion but didn't yet realize how fox-like he was and he was somehow able to play the naive role when dealing with Hyman Roth from there Michael did what he had to do in terms of Retribution and move forward as the head of the family although still trying to go legitimate which brings us to The Godfather 3. in The Godfather 3 Michael is giving generously and receiving accolades for it which is important according to Machiavelli according to him liberal actions that you don't receive credit for are not only useless but harmful either way the third movie is where we Circle back around to how un Machiavellian Michael was at the beginning he never really wanted this and that was the reason he was always trying to go legit but like Machiavelli expresses living a life by theft is a slippery slope and once you start it's hard to stop just when I thought I was out way back ultimately he was incredibly Machiavellian in all aspects except those related to the fact that he didn't want to do it to begin with if he had always aspired to power like Sunny he would have been the ultimate Machiavellian Prince lastly before we go according to the prince people who live their lives in the manner that these gangsters do can never be considered among the Great Men which does make its reverence in that Circle a bit ironic well thanks for watching this episode here on Bully Whispers as always like comment subscribe and I'll see you at the next score

Channel: Bully Whispers

Views: 11,587

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Id: a9KR7BzjSZ8

Length: 8min 5sec (485 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 20 2022