Machiavelli vs. Thoreau (Compare and Contrast Essay)

<Tab/>The way one should govern and the way for one to be governed will always be an ongoing struggle. How can a government maintain order and the safety of its people yet at the same time preserve its citizens' natural right to be free? The ideas from Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian aristocrat, who published "The Prince" in 1513 for a Medici prince as a guideline on how to rule a country, …

…struggle between government and individual freedom has been and always will be a never-ending battle. Comparing Machiavelli's standpoint, which would be order and control, and Thoreau's standpoint, being individual freedom, would give one an idea of this conflict. Even though both men were from different countries and lived during different times in history, their contrasting ideas still live through people in societies today and will echo into the minds of others in societies to follow.