Utopia

Machiavelli a Ruler of Utopia? If Machiavelli were to be made ruler of More's Utopia, he would definitely make many changes in the way the "ideal world" was governed.

Machiavelli through his work, The Prince goes into depth of how a prince should rule his country once he becomes king. The seventy plus pages of his work describe how princes should carry a military, how to combat in war, how to treat subjects, and how to distribute his wealth correctly; all combined leading to a successful prince.

More, in his Utopia, describes how everyone of the country is equal and do the same jobs. Utopia's system of government is different from Machiavelli's in the sense that it isn't a monarchy, but rather it is similar to today's government of the United States. The population of Utopia is divided into thirty households where each household elects an official called a Styward, or a District Controller.

Niccolò Machiavelli

English: Cover page of 1550 edition of Machiavelli...

Utopia

Along with the Styward, each household has a Bencheater or a Senior District Controller. All the Stywards from each town elect a Mayor by secret ballot and the Mayor stays in office for life. The Mayors and Bencheators meet and discuss public affairs and disputes. The Council, (like the Senate in the U.S.) then hears from the Mayors. (Utopia, II, p. 74) It is evident that this form of government is different from that of Machiavelli. In his monarchy, he stresses the importance of having one ruler, the king, and everyone underneath him.

If Machiavelli were to miraculously become the leader of More's Utopia, namely, if he was a Mayor, it would be interesting to watch him change things around to make him the king, making it a monarchy. And he would do this because it is what he thinks is the correct way to...