Fidel Castro: A Machiavellian Prince?

Abstract

Does Fidel Castro qualify as a Machiavellian Prince? Much of The Prince deals with the problem of how a man can raise himself from private fortune or even obscure and abject origins to a position of undisputed political primacy as conqueror or founder of a new state or regime. Clearly, Fidel Castro accomplished that feat. The questions that concern us here are the following: Can Castro’s success be credited to Machiavellian methods in all or most important respects? Did he violate any of Machiavelli’s maxims? Since, as we shall see, although abiding by most precepts, he disregarded several, and scorned one particularly important admonition, what does that tell us about Machiavellism, on the one hand, and, on the other, the kind of “prince” Fidel Castro is?

Keywords: Fidel Castro, Cuba, Machiavelli, tyranny

JEL Classification: B30, Z00