In present-day American society, people must choose between Democratic and Republican views. In the early 1500's, there was a similar decision to make: Machiavellian or Humanism? Both views describe a "perfect leader," but have nearly opposite opinions on what makes such a person. Machiavelli's beliefs could be summarized, but not limited to "the end justifies the means." Humanists were governed by reason, and personal observations. The two viewpoints had many different ideas to offer.

When Niccolò Machiavelli wrote his view of what a good leader is it was for advising the Medici princes of the time. The Prince, which was his philosophy-in-writing, stated that the successful leaders were the ones that had little faith, and could overcome those who were bound by loyalty. Machiavelli used an analogy to define how a prince should fight. He believed that you should fight with a combination of law and force. Law...