To what extent was the success of Venice from the 9th century onwards due to capable leaders? Explain your answer.
The success of Venice from the 9th century onwards was largely due to capable leaders who provided sound leadership. However, one must also consider other possible factors before coming to a satisfactory conclusion.
Capable leaders played a crucial role in Venice’s rise. Its leaders were forward looking and had become a very strong system of republic government. Election to government was based on nomination, balloting and voting to ensure that there was no insider connections nor incompetent leaders. Talented people were elected to serve in the government ensuring a pool of talent to lead Venice to economic success. Such capable leaders also implemented practical policies to respond to the demands of a changing environment such as stopping piracy. Effective checks on power were implemented to ensure that the government would not abuse its power. As such, the citizens were confident that the leaders implemented policies to benefit the whole state and not just in the government’s personal interest. Hence, capable leadership in Venice resulted in good governance. This also ensured continued peace, harmony and economic progress as the state was extremely stable. Therefore, the success and rise of Venice became a natural result of capable leaders.
Economic factors also played a role in Venice’s rise. Venetians enjoyed trade monopoly for a number of centuries. Venice used its navy to destroy trade competitors which resulted in Venice taking control of the sea routes and thus enjoying the salt trade monopoly. Adventurous Venetians also traveled overland in search of new opportunities. As a result, Venice as a city began to grow in its importance as a major trading player. The economy was also diversified to reduce dependence on any particular sector of the economy. As such, such economic foresight would lead to the growth, prosperity and success of Venice.
Social policies also played a role in Venice’s rise. Venice believed in attracting foreign talents and loyalty. It attracted foreign traders, artisans and craftsmen. When these talents decided to settle down in Venice, they contributed to the further growth and success of Venice, further solidifying the position of Venice. They brought with them skills and expertise which could contribute to the rise of Venice. Furthermore, loyal citizens were also willing to make personal and financial sacrifices for the sake of Venice.
In conclusion, capable leaders played a more critical role than economic and social factors as a strong state always begins with a stable political climate. The leaders created a strong and stable government which encouraged commerce and foreign migration. They were also able to inspire people to work hard to the sake of Venice. All these factors, led by capable leaders resulted in the rise of Venice.
To what extent were the corrupt nobles responsible for the fall of Venice? Explain your answer.
While the corrupt nobles were responsible for the fall of Venice, however, there were also other factors such as incapable leaders and complacent citizens. It would be unfair to merely just put the blame on the corrupt nobles.
The corrupt nobles were responsible due to the fact that by the 17th century, Venice lacked the ability to face her external threats and so crumbled quickly internally due to the high level of corruption. To finance wars, the government sought revenue from the salaries of the civil servants as well as imposed higher taxes. Hence, poverty caused the poorer nobles to vote for the rich who could pay them well. Corruption led to a small group of nobles who took office for fame, fortune and power rather than to contribute to the growth and expansion of Venice itself. Since political power was concentrated in about only 100 men in 30 families, this led to an abuse of power as there were only interested in gaining more money and power. This was a critical point in the eventual fall of Venice. Men were seeking to pursue their own personal agendas rather than that of the entire city-state.
The fall of Venice was also due to incapable leaders. This was particularly the case in the military. There were no permanent navy and army leaders as no single family was allowed to control the government. This resulted in a loss of territory when the Ottoman empire came upon Venice. Incompetent military leaders were punished but Venice failed to realize that it needed to fundamentally change its system of selecting leaders. Venice also did not conscript its citizens into the army and so relied too heavily on externally paid armies for its own defence. Moreover, as Venice began to face decline, it could no longer afford to maintain such armies. This also contributed to the fall of Venice.
The fall of Venice was also a result of complacent citizens. The rich, who prospered from the trading became extremely proud. They had large parties and celebrations and were no longer interested in working hard and putting in any effort into their work. They engaged in activities like gambling, and this led to a moral decay. They also believed that the good days would always continue. Such an attitude towards work would obviously result in a decline in the city. Hence, this also resulted in the eventual decline of Venice.
Having considered all factors however, one should definitely blame the corrupt nobles as the single most important factor in the decline of Venice. The corrupt government was insecure and so, purposely picked incapable leaders as they were afraid that their own positions would be threatened. The government gave the people a false sense of security and were unable to motivate them to work hard and remain competitive. As a result, Venice inevitably began its decline and was never ever able to rise back up again.
Which of these lessons is the most important for a country to learn from the rise and fall of Venice:
Capable leadership
Good international relations
A strong defence force
An important lesson that a country can learn from the rise and fall of Venice is the need for a capable and committed leadership. It is critical that every country needs to choose capable and committed leadership for itself. The quality of the leaders will determine the quality of the country. Venice rose because its leaders were willing to place state interests above personal interests. However, they later became corrupt and neglected their responsibilities as state officials choosing to adopt lavish lifestyles instead. Venice also fell as a result of the weak process of choosing its military leaders. Hence, it is the duty of every citizen to elect the right people into government. Countries must learn that the same sad story could happen to them should they choose to take things for granted.
Another important lesson which countries can learn from Venice is the importance of good international relations. When the Ottoman Empire attacked Venice, none of the other city-states offered any assistance or support as Venice became extremely arrogant in its conduct with other states. It is thus important for every country to have friends both regionally and bilaterally. There presents an important need to build close ties and good working relations with other countries.
The third lesson a country can learn from Venice is that a country needs a strong and credible defence force as a form of deterrence. The mistake that Venice made in its military was its reliance on mercenary soldiers. Hence, loyalty to the city-state was missing. To be well prepared, countries need to build up their military might and ensure loyalty by training its own citizens. Success must never be taken for granted, and people must be willing to make sacrifices so that the country can continue to stay safe and prosper.
Though debatable, and though there are many lessons that can be learnt from Venice, capable leadership is perhaps the most important lesson that can be picked up from this example. Capable leaders will understand the need to put the country’s interests above their own and will be able to conduct sound foreign policy as well as a robust defence policy. Hence, capable leadership is the most important lesson that can be taken from the Venetian example.
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