Book Review: Historical Texts and Modern Management Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive review of three influential historical texts: Niccolo Machiavelli's 'The Prince,' Carl von Clausewitz's 'On War,' and Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War.' The review delves into the core themes, strategies, and justifications presented in each book, examining their relevance to leadership and governance. 'The Prince' is analyzed for its focus on power, public goodwill, and the qualities of an effective ruler, contrasting autocratic and republican styles. 'On War' is explored for its insights into military strategy, the relationship between war and politics, and the importance of understanding the enemy. 'The Art of War' is examined for its emphasis on planning, deception, and the psychological aspects of conflict. The report concludes by drawing parallels between the historical contexts and contemporary management practices, identifying lessons and strategies that current-day managers can apply to improve their leadership skills and navigate modern challenges. The report emphasizes the timeless value of these texts in understanding human behavior, strategic thinking, and the dynamics of power.

Running head: BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Introduction
Historically, there have been ample amount of discussion on the topic of settlements.
Establishments, early government systems, kingdoms etc. have been identified in the
medieval and associated periods as the form of governance and even though much of their
practicality has more or less dissipated into the modern environment and evolved into more
sophisticated forms of governance, sometimes, the theoretical underpinnings that the relevant
literatures hold have been identified to hold significant importance in providing validity and
deeper understanding into the working of a governance system. More often a good
governance system is determined by the individual behind the governance system. Therefore
a study of the individual behind the management of a large group of people can be beneficial
in understanding how the system of governance has been put into place in the early days and
what were the various strategies and skills that those individuals possessed that enabled them
to govern so efficiently. Not only do these studies and books provide valuable information
that is historically relevant and interesting pieces of literature at the same time, even in a
modern day context, they provide a strong background and structural strength to the whole
prospect of lifestyle and decision making.
In this essay, three prominent writings from a historical viewpoint are considered for
study and review. The essay will look at the following three books:
1. The Prince (Niccolo Machiavelli)
2. On War (Carl von Clausewitz)
3. The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
After a brief summary and review on the three books separately, the essay will
attempt to look at the books from a modern perspective and identify the relevant elements
that are present in the books which can be utilised in the present context to answer the

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following question – What are the strategies that current day managers can learn from the
three books that they can apply in a present day management.
Review
This section will be reviewing the books in consideration in order to identify
underlying themes and motifs. The review will attempt to identify the main theme of the
books as well as the key strategies that have been described in the books and how the authors
justify those strategies. Finally, each review will attempt to identify several lessons and
strategies that the present day readers as managers, can implement in modern management.
Book 1 – The Prince (Niccolo Machiavelli)
Composed by one of history’s most renowned political theorist and diplomat, Niccolo
Machiavelli, ‘The Prince’ served more as a political treatise for the 16th century. It was
written in order to be a practical guide for how to rule a state, even though there have been
critical speculations that the actual text is more satirical in nature instead of an actual guide.
In the first couple of chapters, the book highlights the fact that it is more leaned towards an
autocratic style of governance instead of the republican style of governance. Through the
description of the various types of principals and princes in existence, this part of the book
develops an outline for the rest. The main concerns of the book are power politics, Warcraft
and public goodwill which are more or less generalised in the third chapter. Afterwards,
throughout the course of the next ten chapters, Machiavelli offers advice on a variety of
practical matters. The significant ones among those involve the paths that one takes towards
the ascension to power as well as the advantages and disadvantages that accompany that path.
The author also talks about the various ways to acquire and manage new states, to build and
maintain alliances with other states and rules as well as the theory behind a strong military
power and how that can be implemented to prevent the troubles in the state including internal

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insurrection. A key implication of these chapters are the ideas regarding virtue, free will,
human nature and matters of ethics, however they do not explicitly manifest themselves until
much later in the book. Once the discussion regarding the state, military and rules are
covered, Machiavelli moves on to the aspect of the prince himself. With respect to personal
virtues and vices, Machiavelli states that unrealistically high ambitions are responsible for a
bad governance. He states that there might be certain virtues that one might find beneficial
for himself at one moment but for the overall aspect of the governance, it might prove to be
detrimental. At the same time, certain vices which may be considered unethical individually,
may in actuality turn out to be beneficial for the state. In the book, Machiavelli has combined
this line of reasoning with the broader theme of obtaining public acceptance and goodwill as
the key factor behind the maintenance of true power. Therefore, sometimes the appearance of
virtue becomes more important than the true virtue itself which can sometimes be considered
a liability.
The whole context of the book is tied to a specific historical fact which tis the disunity
of Italy. Machiavelli identifies the failures of the past Italian rulers in this context stating that
they are the reason behind the failed governance system. He pleads to the future rulers of
Italy and asserts that the country’s honor and pride can only be restored by Lorenzo De
’Medici, for whom the book was written and to whom it was dedicated.
There are certain important themes that the story distinctly identifies. The first
important theme being that of Warcraft and statesmanship (Wilcocks, 2011). Machiavelli ties
the system of good governance and good laws with that of a sound military system. He
reverses the traditional understanding of wars being a necessary but not definitive element of
the developing states and instead emphasises the fact that successful wars are the foundations
for building all states. Much of the book is dedicated to Machiavelli attempting to explain
what it means to conduct an effective war which includes fortification of the city, treatment

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of the domestic subjects in newly acquired state and prevention of insurrection. However, this
description of war entails more than the mere use of force, Machiavelli adds the aspects of
diplomacy on an international level, domestic politics, strategic and tactical progression,
geographical skills combined with a historical knowledge and analysis as the benefactors of a
good war. Machiavelli contextualises the Italy of his time stating that when the cities were
drowning in power struggles and the political discrepancies from the neighbouring states, he
could visualise a solution to almost all the problem once he saw those affairs through a
military lens.
The second crucial theme as Machiavelli identifies is that of public goodwill and
hatred. He states that the definition of hatred in the context of a ruler can be detrimental for
his regime. While it may or may not be significant for a prince to be loved, it certainly causes
his downfall if he is hated. So the primary objective of the prince is not to look for public
love but to keep himself free from public hatred (Buskirk, 1974). In fact Machiavelli also
states that the best emotion that a prince can garner from his followers is fear. This does not
entail that the author is asking the prince to be cruel all the time but only use cruelty in
instances where the long term goodwill of the people is not affected. Machiavelli does
identify the goodwill of the people as the best defense against insurrection and aggression.
While hatred has been identified a factor that can significantly impact the health of the prince
and his personal wellbeing, goodwill is mostly used as a political toolkit for the overall
stability of the reign of the prince.
Two other prominent themes that can be identified in the book is the aspect of freewill
and virtue. Machiavelli discusses fortune in the context of determination of human
achievements where he also connects the aspect of free will to it (Swain, 2002). Fortune is
responsible for driving half of the human actions and the rest half is under the absolute
control of free will. Thus, Machiavelli argues that the human free will and determination is a

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significant player in the determination of human actions and outcomes. However, fortune
does not come unadulterated as there are certain vices that attach themselves to fortune and
can only be mitigated by a characteristic trait known as foresight. Foresight is something that,
according to Machiavelli, is possessed by the champions and can benefit the state from
potential harms. In a similar light, Machiavelli also displays strong diplomacy by stating that
the leader should possess attributes of virtue that would be praised by all but should not seek
out virtue simply for its sake (Calhoon, 1969). If certain vices benefit the state, Machiavelli
urges the leader to follow those. Finally, the last theme that is identified in the text is that of
human nature, which happens to be a very precarious ground to stand on. Human nature can
be deceiving but will always possess a particular set of traits associated with it. Machiavelli
backs his stance by elaborating instances form history that human nature is content and happy
for a time and then under the influence of something terrible, turns cruel and deceitful.
To summarise, ‘The Prince’ is a book about management of a country and
contemporary rulers and national leaders can learn something useful from them. If not the
very exact traits of management of a nation, the distinction between the characteristics
possessed by an individual in management can certainly prove to be useful.

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Book 2 –
‘On War’ is a war and military strategy book by the 19th century Prussian general Carl
von Clausewitz. The book, written between 1816 and 1830, and published posthumously by
Carl’s wife Marie, forms the base of the most important of all political and military analysis
and strategy treatises ever written. Historically, it has been stated that Clausewitz received
most of his inspiration to write the book through the war strategies and military planning and
policies of the leaders of the French revolution, especially Napoleon. He identified how those
leaders were able to change the shape of the war through their military strategies and their
abilities to motivate the population through which they were able to attain access to the
resources of the state. This enabled them to unleash a war the scale of which had never been
seen before in the continent of Europe. Professionally, Clausewitz was a soldier who spent a
considerable amount of time fighting against Napoleon, which, clubbed with his deep interest
and knowledge in history, art, science and education, enabled him to form a strong base for
the book, drawing significant references from his experience of war and politics and the
knowledge of the history of Europe.
The central concept of the book can be generalised into what Gat (2001) has stated
that in a current context, the conduct of war cannot be reduced to the universal principles.
There are three basic streams of thought that can be distinctly identified in the book. Firstly,
war is not a purpose in itself. Instead it is an instrument of politics that is used by the ruling
individuals or organisation to achieve some goals that they are set on achieving. All the
concerned stakeholders in a war tend to follow some objective behind a war in their minds
which defines the purpose of war for them (Howard, 2002). This brings us to the second
stream of thought, the war objective. There are two basic military objectives behind war, the
first one being the utility of war in order to achieve some limited aims while the second war
dictates the objective of war being to disarm and immobilise the enemy. Most of the times, a

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larger objective behind a war is not identified and so generalisations are made that the
objective of a particular war is to establish peace in a region, we can take the example of the
war in Middle East or Kashmir for instance (Fernandez, 2004). However, on a larger scale,
for instance the world wars, the objective behind the wars for every country and alliance was
to disarm the enemy and establish dominion. To weaken or render the enemy impotent is an
aspect of war that is bound to ensure victory for one side. Finally, the last stream of thought
that is identified from the book is that war in itself tends to lean towards the party with the
stronger emotional motivation, political strategy and military prowess. The book elaborates
certain key concepts and ideas pertaining to war that can be identified as significant
benefactors to the prospect of war.
Firstly, military analysis is identified as a dialectal approach (Heuser, 2011) where
two parties may have conflicting opinions regarding warfare but may attempt to reach a
sensible conclusion through presentation of reasonable arguments and counter arguments.
Secondly, war is a product to be found in the social realm and nowhere else, however
the elements of war like strategy, belongs to the realm of art whilst that of war tactics belongs
to the field of science. A mindless horde of people fighting amongst each other cannot be
counted as war. It would simply be a ruckus on a large scale caused without any supervision
or objective (Rowsell & Berry, 1993). A war would have an objective in its planning, a sense
of direction in its strategy as well as a rationale in its tactics that would determine not only
which party is the stronger and the most favorite victor, but also predict certain outcomes. For
instance, present day military tactics of apprehension involve as low collateral damage as
possible, something that a 19th century war would not have given much forethought to.
Thirdly, despite a series of intricate planning and strategizing, the outcomes of war
are mostly unpredictable. There is a ‘fog of war’ that looms over the environment where both
the concerned parties are unsure of their own situational awareness and they generally have

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no clue of which party is dominating unless intel is received from the overlord. The center of
gravity of the war shifts rapidly thereby making the outcome of the war unclear.
Book 3 –
‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu has been identified as and still remains to this date, the
oldest and the most influential military treatise in global history dating back roughly to 5th
century BC. The book is composed of thirteen chapters where the author, in each chapter
elaborates key aspects of warfare and applies them to military strategy and tactics. Even in
the current context, the book remains one of the most influential in eastern philosophy and
warfare. Still to this date, this book is used for military tactics as well as business tactics and
strategies as well as some aspects of lifestyle. Sun Tzu has been considered one of history’s
finest military strategist, thus the reason behind the book being a significant influencer of
military strategy and tactics even in the present context is justified. Sun Tzu has provided a
detailed explanation and analysis of the Chinese Military, its weapons, its war strategies as
well as the ranks and the disciples (Michaelson, 2007).
In the thirteen chapters of the book, the author has elaborated various crucial aspects
of warfare. The first chapter deals with the aspect of assessment and planning, exploring the
five fundamental factors of the way, the seasons, the terrain, leadership and management. The
author stresses that these factors along with the seven outcomes that determine the outcome
of a military engagement can lead a commander to victory whereas deviation from the
assessment and proper planning can lead to failure (Van Creveld, 2000).
In the second chapter, the author emphasises that one crucial ingredient behind
victory is quick decisive engagements and the limitation of the conflict cost. In the third
chapter, the author stresses that unity and not size is the main source of strength and that in
order to win a battle, attack should be combined with strategy, alliances, the city and the

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army. The fourth chapter elaborates the commander’s ability to understand and grasp the
importance of a particular strategic position and the ability to realise that the position needs to
be held securely until a viable opening is found. The next five chapters are focused entirely
on the Chinese military forces, how creativity and proper timing can be beneficial in building
momentum, how analysis of the opponent’s weaknesses and strengths can help in strategic
advancements and also elaborates on the dangers of direct conflict and how those situations
can be overcome. There is also adequate discussion on how variation and adaptability of the
troops as well as the importance of flexibility and responsiveness to changing circumstances
successfully. The author also stresses on the importance of identifying the different situations
in which the army may find itself in and thus the responses should not only be swift and
judgemental but also strategic in approach.
In the following chapters the author describes the various terrains and types of
battlegrounds that the army must get adapted to. The author also elaborates the use of
extensive weapons as well as using the environment as a weapon in various situations.
Moreover, the techniques for appropriate responses to various attacks have also been
identified and discussed. In the final chapter of the book, the author emphasises the
development of decent and reliable information sources for better strategizing and planning
as well as highlights the importance of espionage in warfare.
The significance and relevance of the book does not lie in the detail and intricacies
that it displays but rather the important lessons it teaches us even in the present context
(Corneli, 1987). Even an ordinary person can read the book and realise and understand
several important aspects of warfare without possessing any significant knowledge about
warfare or military politics and strategies in general. The language is not too tactical and can
be understood by almost all types of reader. This is where the biggest achievement of the
book lies as it is not just a book on warfare but also a book on understanding human nature

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and developing action strategies in real life (Bhaumik & Tzu, 1997). It clearly highlights the
importance of understanding a situation and modifying the plan based on the situation. It
enables the reader to analyse the enemy, which in a present context can be considered a rival
in work or the employer, and decide whether or not to confront or to leave alone based on
their strengths. Moreover, the book also highlights the importance of knowing when to fight
and when to restrain oneself. All these understandings tell us that the book is as much a book
of lifestyle, decision making, strategic planning and management as it has been of warfare,
politics and military strategies once upon a time.
Contemporary correlations
The three books have a similar background, which is of warfare and politics. However
the three books each deal with these aspects in their own ways making the books distinctly
different resources for lifestyle and management (Barker, 1994).
Machiavelli’s book is concerned with identifying the prince as the chief character in
the book (Leeden & Leeden, 1999), in which sense, the various traits and elements possessed
by the prince can be highlighted in correspondence with the traits of leadership that is
identified as a key element in the aspect of management today (Sun, Chen & Zhang, 2008).
Leadership comprises of a series of personality traits and practical skills that a true leader is
identified to possess (Grint, 2011). Some of those key skills include being understanding and
empathetic while maintaining the ability to draw crowd and public close to oneself though
their approaches and attitudes (Kilinc, Oncu & Tasgit, 2012). Even in the book, certain
virtues and vices have been identified and it has been elaborated that these virtues and vices
should be used only after identifying a scenario in order to effectively manage it. This advice
can become really useful in a situation where strict leadership display is required. Moreover,
there have been specific instructions given in the book regarding understanding the public

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and how to gather their acceptance. This can be a crucial driver for the individual in
establishing him/herself as an effective leader.
Even though Clausewitz’s book is a treatise on war, it incorporates key elements of
management that can be identified as significant in present day context. Not only does it
highlight strategy as an important factor in warfare it also tells us that strategy and planning
are different things (Kellerman, 2010). In management both become useful. The book also
highlights the usefulness of competition in growth and in a present day management sphere,
these elements can become really significant for the effective maintenance of any work, team
as well as project and entire companies.
The Art of War is very systematic in highlighting not just strategies that can be used
in warfare but also subliminally directs us towards identifying each of those strategies as key
skills to be followed in life (Lee et al., 1998). The words can be interpreted as metaphors for
real life where the life is the war and the terrains and environments discussed are personal
and professional engagements which presents us with an array of challenges on a daily basis
(Smith, 2012). Similarly, the enemy can be identified as a workplace adversary and can be
dealt with in strategic ways. Strategy and planning also forms a key structure of Tzu’s book
and in a real life context, those elements can be well applied to overcome any harsh reality or
situation (Chen, 1994). The book also highlights the use of weapons and the environment in
one’s favour, signifying that an individual should always look to his surroundings for ideas
and resources that can help them in their process (Kempke, 2002).
Overall, these three books are extremely relevant even in a present day context
(Fiedler, 1996) and provides modern day managers with key skills and strategies like that of
leadership, environment and adversary assessment, strategizing and planning that they can
implement in their life and profession.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, we can safely assert that the three books reviewed and discussed above
are relevant pieces of literature that can work very well as pieces of life advice that we can
follow in order to make significant and impactful decisions in our lives with respect to
management. Identifying one’s life as warfare may not sound that exciting or reassuring for
an individual but we cannot understate the fact that the strategies used and employed in
managing warfare as well as a nation or state requires certain well developed skill sets that
can prove to be very effective when large scale communication and management is
considered. With that in mind, the three books that have been discussed can be identified as
crucial resources for the overall development of a person and his skills using which he can
succeed in very specific aspects of his life and mitigate certain hostile situations that comes
his way.

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