Living in a tumultuous time, full of political and religious conflict, warring city-states, and a continent ruled by a government that used the church to control and conquer, an exiled Machiavelli he wrote the book The Prince to give politicians a basis on how to govern a nation and as a way to continue to make a statement in the politics of Florence. The book itself was different from normal “mirrors for princes” in the sense that instead of telling the prince how to be morally sound it told him how to be effective as a ruler. Three characteristics are expressed within the book that can be considered of great importance for every prince/sovereign. These three were that every prince should be feared rather than loved, study war and always be ready to meet it, and that in the case of two warring states always take a side and never turn away from it. These characteristics were present in a strong and ruthless ruler who used the three characteristics mentioned above to rule an entire country. Joseph Stalin might be seen as a mass murderer, but his successes and contributions to Russia demonstrated that being feared rather than loved, studying warfare and perfecting it, and his ability to choose his allies in war would ultimately led to the prosperity of his country. nation.Machiavelli clearly stated in The Prince that for a ruler to be successful, he must always think about war and its institutions. In the book Machiavelli states: "He should therefore never turn his mind away from this exercise of war, and in time of peace he must practice it more than in time of war..." (Page 70 eBook edition; Machiavelli). Joseph Stalin displayed this mentality regarding the war when he began to take from Russia's already diminished poor classes to aid in s...... middle of paper ...... would ultimately help his nation become a center political, social, and economic power. In conclusion, Stalin was certainly a Machiavellian leader. During his reign as Premier of the Soviet Union, his actions, decisions, achievements, and life were close, if not exactly, to what Machiavelli attempted to teach the politicians of Florence. In times of war and strife, Machiavelli saw the need for a great leader, willing to do what it takes to allow the nation to prosper. Joseph Stalin was the man of his time, and like many Machiavellian leaders, he would experience both success and problems during his reign as ruler. Joseph Stalin used his ability to be feared rather than loved, studied warfare and perfected it, and his ability to choose his allies in war to secure Russia's place as a power on the planet, what some would call a true Machiavellian leader..