The Prince in a Democracy

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THE MIND OF THE PRINCE

 

The only goal of a Prince is to get and keep power.

Others may lust after wealth or prestige but all that matters to the Prince is power.

The Prince sees society divided in three groups - supporters, enemies, and silent, fearful politically passive. 


 

To you, politics is a zero-sum game. You win, your enemies lose. There are no democratic negotiations or compromises. Only temporary alliances that can be broken.

 

BUILDING YOUR POLITICAL BASE

 

You share with your supporters a deeply negative view of the future of society. Your supporters see a bright past compared to a dark future. You share this vision. You tell them that only you can fight against or reverse this trend.  

 

You share their belief that the present is corrupt and the future bleak because of conspiracies. An important part of your appeal is to find or invent conspiracies. You find scapegoats to blame for what your supporters believe is wrong with society.

 

You find political allies who will support you. Established churches or conservative religious groups are an obvious choice. Many believe in the presence of hidden evil forces. 

 

You do not have to share their beliefs; it is probable you are not religious and do not share their moral teachings. All you have to do is to articulate their moral outrage and support their moral programs. You politicize their beliefs. Like the cynical Richard III of Shakespeare, carry a Bible in public or some other religious photo op. Appear with religious leaders. Speak at their national conventions. Appear on the TV programs of televangelists.

 

Your political enemies are not the “loyal opposition” of a democracy. They are the enemy. They are the enemy of your supporters. The only legitimate citizens are your supporters. They are “the people.” Your enemies are “enemies of the people.” Your enemies are not just wrong but immoral and evil, a threat to your supporters’ vision of the desired order of society. You denounce your enemies as criminals, traitors, subversives, radicals, elitists, “scum.” You demonize and dehumanize them.

 

Ignore opinion polls and approval rating polls. The only opinions that count are the opinions of the segment of the population that supports you.

 

You probably have contempt for people. You only see their negative side – their weaknesses – that you exploit. You feel superior. But you must hide this and transform this feeling into an image of infallibility that will give your supporters strength and purpose.

 

 

GETTING ELECTED

 

The Prince, to be secure, must corrupt the government. You must subvert democratic institutions so you have nothing to fear from defenders of democracy. 

 

To get power, a Prince has to convince about half of the voting citizens to support him. All of his energy and tactics are to increase the number of his supporters. Ignore debate with those who will never support you. Don’t argue with your opponents. Use irrational, emotional appeals against logical, rational arguments. You can ignore, or ridicule, opponents who believe in the rules of debate or fair play.

You can deal with them after you are elected.

 

Who are your potential supporters?

 

A democratic society is probably also capitalist. That means permanent disruption, both economic and social. A disproportionate share of the innovators, entrepreneurs and disruptors will come from ethnic, racial, and religious minorities, often immigrants. The dominant racial or ethnic or religious group will feel threatened with an absolute or relative loss of income, status, influence, and power. They will feel insecure, threatened, angry, and hateful. They may use the rhetoric of moral outrage, which you adopt. They see the traditional order of things threatened or slipping away. They start talking about “real citizens.” They are your potential supporters.

 

Your supporters do not want to hear about tolerance, accommodation to other views or behavior, protection of minorities, human rights, free speech, or individual liberties that protect what is to them abhorrent behavior. Social issues are seen through a traditional moral lens. 

 

It is not necessary that you share their beliefs. It is only necessary that you recognize their beliefs about what they think is wrong and who is to blame. If you gain power, you must articulate their discontent and focus it.

 

You create a narrative of a past “Golden Age” or a historical mythology. You appeal to their ethnic or racial pride.

 

 

KEEPING AND EXPANDING POWER

 

Princes in a democracy depend on and represent the reactionary forces that cannot or do not wish to face the future. You do not have to have any positive programs to deal with society’s problems. Reward your supporters with grants and subsidies. Place blame. Deny the problems exist. Your power and influence do not depend on constructive or “progressive” programs to deal with your country’s future.

 

It is necessary that attacks on opponents, liberals, and potential rivals be continuous and incessant. In a world of social media, it is necessary to control the narrative. To do this, all statements, no matter how outrageous, should demonize, dehumanize, and demoralize the opposition. They should always be kept on the defensive.

 

You can tell the truth or you can lie. You can change your story without explanation. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you constantly talk about the themes important to your supporters.

 

You must dominate the discussion. Overwhelm opponents with a constant barrage of propaganda and misinformation. Don’t stop to debate. Your supporters will accept whatever you say on faith.

 

Many of the opposition politicians and their supporters are the “new classes” prospering because of economic opportunity and disruption. Your supporters probably felt superior to them in the past but now feel threatened by them. You play upon those fears. You appeal to their sense of nostalgia, how they imagine things were in the past. At the same time, extort money from corporations and the wealthy by threatening them with the powers of your government. Attack and weaken other institutions you believe are actual or potential threats to your power or influence.

 

It is not necessary to build a new political base. You will find that many politicians will support you if you have gained power. You will probably view them with contempt because of their weakness and flattery but it doesn’t matter if they do your bidding. If they question some of your actions or begin to appear to be a threat to your power, they must be destroyed. They can always be replaced with new sycophants.

 

 

CORRUPTING DEMOCRACY

 

Keep democratic institutions but “hollow” them out. Subvert the election process so your supporters are almost guaranteed to win. Discredit, indict, or prosecute leading opposition politicians. 

 

The large bureaucracy of government is a powerful tool you can use.  You use the powers of government to destroy or neutralize opponents. The economic and military resources of a country are used to support or increase your power. Gain control of the “judicial” parts of government. Use criminal charges, civil investigations, threatening government prosecutions, taking away grants and subsidizes, destroying reputations, tax audits, and intimidation to weaken your opponents.

 

Democratic institutions and norms are established to protect the political system from demagogues like you. Ignore them or subvert them. Keep the institutions but change the content. Make sure the legislature is dominated by your supporters. Appoint the judges and federal law enforcers. All government departments, all government employees, must be loyal to you, not to some abstract belief in democracy or justice or the common good. There is no common good. They are there to carry out, to justify, whatever actions you take. Everyone is replaceable; loyalty is the only criterion. If things go wrong, find scapegoats. Question motives and patriotism. Denounce and dismiss anyone in your government that doesn’t do your bidding. Everyone in government must feel insecure and only dependent on your goodwill.

 

You probably have developed personal resentments and grievances. Some may coincide with those of supporters. This suggests targets for your retribution. Also attack real or imagined opponents at random. This will install fear in actual or potential critics. 

 

Strike at targets randomly. No one will feel safe. Install fear in everyone. Everyone has something to lose. The populace will become politically passive to avoid your wrath.

 

All political rhetoric and moves are tactical. You do not have to have any consistent or long run strategy. You will be in power for only a limited number of years.

 

Some democracies have term limits. You may not want to give up power after your term of office is finished. Term limits can often be ignored or changed. You might challenge the legality of the term limit law. Or you might promote a flunky as your successor and dominate him. Get elected to another position of power to influence or dominate.

 

Try to increase the wealth and power of relatives, especially children. Someday, they may also seize power.

 

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

 

The same thing in foreign affairs. You do not promote democratic values, human rights, individual liberties. Foreign politics is about power, realpolitik. But your power, not your country’s.

 

Use patriotism and nationalism to gain support. Display your patriotism at every opportunity. Find real or imaged foreign scapegoats for your country’s problems. Divert blame to foreign governments for your country’s problems.

 

Form alliances with other Princes. Criticize and subvert democracy in other countries. Portray democratic leaders of other countries as weak and indecisive.

 

If you become the leader of a powerful country, conduct foreign policy like domestic policy. The goal of foreign policy is to increase your domestic power, whether or not it helps your country in foreign affairs. Foreigners don’t vote. And foreigners are a good source of scapegoats. It is easy to conjure up foreign conspiracies for your supporters. If you can link them, no matter how absurdly with domestic opponents, all’s the better.

 

It is probably a good idea to avoid wars because of uncertain outcomes and consequences. But not always. Regardless, appeal to nationalism and use patriotic rhetoric. You go to war if you believe it will increase your country’s power and influence. Or territory. This implies going to war against weaker opponents.

 

Beware of other Princes. They share your outlook about human nature and power. Beat up on foreign rulers who still believe in democracy, fairness, and reason.

 

Many countries with democratic institutions are dominated by the military or corrupt politicians. Older democracies are under attack by “far-right” (autocratic) parties and leaders. They are your natural allies. Support them. Justify their behavior. If they are elected, they might become your ally. But be careful; they think like you.

 

 

IF YOU RETIRE

 

Remember that you will not be around to be criticized when the consequences of your actions come due. Not your problem. The future ends the day you leave office.

 

Do not worry about your “historical legacy.” History doesn’t judge; historians do. Given enough time and distance, historians find virtues in the most despicable and destructive of leaders. They will accept your written propaganda. They are usually timid academics who worship power. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be spending their time writing about Princes.

 

If you retire to write your autobiography, also become a gardener. Gardeners ruthlessly control their plantings. Gardening will put you in the proper mood to write your memoirs.

 

 

HISTORICAL EXAMPLES

 

Learn from successful examples.

Study the tactics of other Princes who have subverted democracies.

 

KARL LUEGER

 

There is an irony surrounding the expansion of male suffrage in Austria-Hungary in 1882. It led to the rise of the Christian Social Party, a right-wing populist party led by Karl Lueger. 

 

Economic growth and development generated economic, demographic, cultural, and political stresses in Austria, especially Vienna. Vienna experienced rapid population growth as Slavs, Jews, and other non-German-speaking groups from the provinces and neighboring countries moved to Vienna. Vienna’s population increased from 551,000 in 1850 to 2,083,000 in 1910.

 

Lueger allied his party to existing conservative, reactionary and religious elements. The party appealed to clerical Catholicism, German nationalism, and traditional values, In Vienna, he appealed to a voting base of mostly German-speaking lower middle-class artisans and shopkeepers who were losing their economic security and status to immigrants and a rising liberal capitalist class. Mr. Lueger became very popular and was elected mayor of Vienna (1897-1910). As mayor, he initiated and managed new public works projects in Vienna that benefited his constituency. Eventually, he was accepted as an ally by the emperor and the aristocracy. 

 

Mr. Lueger and the Christian Social Party used anti-Semitism as an effective political weapon. Karl Lueger did not create the populist anti-Semitism of Vienna but shrewdly exploited it for political gain. 

 

The party advocated racist policies against non-German speaking minorities. It supported a bill to restrict immigration of Russian and Romanian Jews into Austria-Hungary. After World War I, the Christian Social Party morphed into a Fascist party that dominated Austrian politics until the Anschluss (union) with fascist Germany in 1938.

 

One person living in Vienna who watched and learned from the success of the political rhetoric of the Christian Social Party and the mass organizing techniques of Social Democrats was Adolph Hitler.

 

CAESAR AUGUSTUS

 

Brilliant use of propaganda and power to “hollow out” Rome’s republican institutions and destroy potential opposition, including half of the senators. Controlled all aspects of the government. Always protested he was just trying to save the republic. Turned the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

 

MACHIAVELLI’S THE PRINCE

 

Don’s waste your time reading this book. Another time, another place. Princes were either born to power or killed rivals to get it. Ignore the book’s “how to” advice. You already know everything about getting and keeping power.

 

PLATO ON TYRANNY

 

Plato says that tyrants project anger, resentment, and revenge. (Books 8 and 9 of Plato’s Republic)

 

Tyrants exhibit hatred that springs from envy. They destroy good men (the just) because they have the virtues the tyrant lacks. Tyrants also go after the brave, the proud, the wise, the rich to boost their own stature and self-worth. All groups or organizations that contain people like this are potential enemies and must be corrupted.

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