Many of the world's leaders have turned to Niccolo Machiavelli's The Art of War as a guide to the fundamentals of war, including Frederick the Great, Napoleon, as well as countless other military leaders. Limited warfare is one of the philosophies promoted in this work. Machiavelli believed that military conflict should be a last resort and should only be considered when diplomacy fails. He was also of the belief that society could only remain stable and secure with a strong state military.

During the Renaissance era, Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, philosopher, historian, and politician. During his career, Machiavelli spent many years as a senior official in the Florentine Republic, working in diplomatic and in military affairs, but it was The Art of War that gained him the most recognition. During his lifetime, Niccolo Machiavelli was highly critical of corruption in politics, which is evident in much of his work.