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Chuckie McClinchy
Mrs. Tieman
English 12/Dual Credit
1 December 2013
To be Feared or Loved
And here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than
feared, or feared rather than loved. It might be answered that we should wish to be
both; but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between
them, it is far safer to be feared than loved (Machiavelli 109). Niccolo Machiavelli
presented his question- is it better to be feared or loved if you cannot be both? - and
presented his side of the argument- it is more important to be feared than loved.
Machiavelli made this point centuries ago and it holds true to this day. It is indeed more
important for a leader to be feared than loved.
Love is the strongest driving force in the world. It drives people to go
above and beyond the call of duty for whomever or whatever it is that they love. People
go to war out of love for their country, people create the most beautiful music out of
love, and people build monuments out of love. But does love conquer cities? Does love
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build empires? Does love transform an entire countrys economy? Fear is the
ultimate driving force for a leader to use because of how reliable it is. Fear is fear no
matter what just as death is death. However, love is fickle and changes at the drop of a
hat (Why).
Take a look at history. Some of the most accomplished leaders of all time,
while not very good role models, were also some of the most fearsome leaders of all
time. Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and Joseph Stalin are all names synonymous with
ruthlessness, but they all accomplished what they wanted to do.
Attila the Hun, an infamous barbarian, went on campaigns all across Asia
and even Europe, looting and pillaging anything with which he came into contact. He
even managed to devastate the Roman Empire so badly that the emperor had to agree
to pay the Huns every year in order to prevent further invasions. The people that Attila
conquered eventually joined his ranks because they were so terrified of him. They did
not hate him, they just could not think of anything scarier than not being on Attilas side
(Attila). Attila the Hun secured his place in history as a successful leader because of the
fear he was able to strike into the hearts of both the opposition and his own men.

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Genghis Khan is arguably the most successful leader in history as well as the
most vicious. Genghis Khan unified different Mongol tribes together and moved on to
secure the largest land empire ever. The Mongol Empire stretched all the way from
China to Poland. At one point, the Mongol Empire controlled an amount of land about
the size of the continent of Africa. However, Genghis Khan did not like disobedience
one bit. All of Genghis Khans followers were obedient because anyone who would not
submit, would be killed (Genghis). Genghis Khan killed over 40 million people. That is
literally enough to cultivate land for enough trees to draw 700 million tons of carbon out
of the atmosphere. (Genghis Khan the GREEN) As mighty as he was terrible, Genghis
Khan is a perfect example of why it is better for a leader to be feared than loved.

Continuing the trend, Joseph Stalin ran a totalitarian government with no
regard for human life. Stalin wanted to revamp the Soviet Union as an industrial
superpower and in order to do that, he killed millions of farmers who would not give
control of their farms to the government. This government takeover of agriculture, in
turn, caused a famine that killed millions more. In addition to that, Stalin killed millions
more through the usage of labor camps during the Great Purge. In the Great Purge,
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Stalin eliminated all those who were deemed a threat to the Communist Party.
Stalin is estimated to be responsible for up to twenty million deaths (Joseph History).
However, Stalins government takeover of all industry boosted productivity in a huge
way and turned the Soviet Union into an economic superpower, proving that with fear,
comes success.
On a more recent note, Kim Jong-Il, a North Korean dictator was also a man who
decided to lead his country by fear. Putting human rights last, Kim was ruthless in his
drive to become respected by the rest of the world. Much like Stalin had already done,
Kim allowed for famine to happen in his country, he sent men to labor camps, and he
held public executions of those who broke his laws (North).
On the other hand, North Korea became a huge nuclear threat. The development
of weapons of mass destruction has increased in North Korea and transformed the
country into a substantial global power. North Korea is much more powerful than it was
twenty years ago and that is due to the ferocity of Kim Jong-Il.
While love is definitely an effective device for a leader to use, it just cannot
be trusted. It leaves too much to chance and it makes the man in charge seem too
much like a friend instead of the man in charge. Fear drives men to do things that they
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would never do in their right minds. With the right leader, a leader with ambition, that
trait can be used to transform the world. The security that fear provides in the work
being done is what has made it the greatest tool to be utilized throughout history.













Works Cited
"Attila The Hun Biography." Attila The Hun. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Feared Versus Loved: An Analysis of The Prince by Machiavelli." Article Myriad. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
"Genghis Khan." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Genghis Khan the GREEN: Invader Killed so Many People That Carbon Levels
Plummeted." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Joseph Stalin." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"North Korea: Kim Jong-Il's Legacy of Mass Atrocity | Human Rights Watch." North Korea: Kim
Jong-Il's Legacy of Mass Atrocity | Human Rights Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec.
2013.
"Why Machiavelli Thinks It's Better To Be Feared Than Loved." Sitewide ATOM. N.p., n.d.
Web. 19 Nov. 2013.