Justifying Power

Abstract: A 5 page essay that addresses the topic of political expediency. Presumably leaders and nations base their actions on rationales that place put a priority on the welfare of the people, rather than political expediency. However, in the early sixteenth century, Niccolo Machiavelli pointed out that actions that are political expedient are necessary in order for those who are in power to remain in power. Rather than going through the charade of pretending that there are other rationales for authoritarian action, Machiavelli cut to the heart of the matter and laid out a course of action for rulers, based on his observations of human nature, that he calculated as effective and these actions were based on political expediency rather than morality. This examination of political expediency looks first at Machiavelli's philosophy and then at how it is evidenced in British colonial policy in the first half of the twentieth century as evidenced in the writing of George Orwell. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

Filename: khpolex.rtf

Pages: 5

---

Catagory:

Subcatagory: European History

---