Read complete books and articles on: Machiavelli

Machiavelli, NiccolÒ - nēk-kōlôˈ mäkyävĕlˈlē, 1469–1527, Italian author and statesman, one of the outstanding figures of the Renaissance, b. Florence.

Life

A member of the impoverished branch of a distinguished family, he entered (1498) the political service of the Florentine republic and rose rapidly in importance. As

Machiavelli, NiccolÒ - nēk-kōlôˈ mäkyävĕlˈlē, 1469–1527, Italian author and statesman, one of the outstanding figures of the Renaissance, b. Florence.

Life

A member of the impoverished branch of a distinguished family, he entered (1498) the political service of the Florentine republic and rose rapidly in importance. As defense secretary he substituted (1506) a citizens' militia for the mercenary system then prevailing in Italy. This reform sprang from his conviction, set forth in his major works, that the employment of mercenaries had largely contributed to the political weakness of Italy. Machiavelli became acquainted with power politics through his important diplomatic missions. He met Cesare Borgia twice and was sent by way of Florence to Louis XII of France (1504, 1510), to Pope Julius II (1506), and to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1507).

The Medicis' return (1512) to Florence caused his dismissal; in 1513 he was briefly imprisoned and was tortured for his alleged complicity in a plot against the Medici. Machiavelli retired to his country estate, where he wrote his chief works. He humiliated himself before the Medici in a vain attempt to recover office. When, in 1527, the republic was briefly reestablished, Machiavelli was distrusted by many of the republicans, and he died thoroughly disappointed and embittered.

Principal Writings

Machiavelli's best-known work, Il principe [the prince] (1532), describes the means by which a prince may gain and maintain his power. His "ideal" prince (seemingly modeled on Cesare Borgia) is an amoral and calculating tyrant who would be able to establish a unified Italian state. The last chapter of the work pleads for the eventual liberation of Italy from foreign rule. Interpretations of The Prince vary: it has been viewed as sincere advice, as a plea for political office, as a detached analysis of Italian politics, as evidence of early Italian nationalism, and as political satire on Medici rule. However, the adjective Machiavellian has come to be a synonym for amoral cunning and for justification by power.

Less widely read but more indicative of Machiavelli's politics is his Discorsi sulla prima deca di Tito Livio [discourses on the first 10 books of Livy] (1531). In it Machiavelli expounded a general theory of politics and government that stressed the importance of an uncorrupted political culture and a vigorous political morality. Vaster in conception than The Prince, the Discourses shows clearly Machiavelli's republican principles, which are also reflected in his Istorie Fiorentine [history of Florence] (1532), a historical and literary masterpiece, entirely modern in concept.

Other works include Dell'arte della guerra [on the art of war] (1521), which viewed military problems in relation to politics, and numerous reports and brief works. He also wrote many poems and plays, notably the lively and ribald comedy Mandragola (1524). His correspondence has been preserved and is of great interest. The chief works of Machiavelli are available in several popular English editions.

Bibliography

See P. Villari, Life and Time of Niccolò Machiavelli (2 vol., tr. 1878); H. Butterfield, The Statecraft of Machiavelli (1956); S. Anglo, Machiavelli (1970); E. Garver, Machiavelli and the History of Prudence (1987); P. S. Donaldson, Machiavelli and the Mystery of State (1989); M. Vitoli, Nocolò's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli (2000).

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Machiavelli

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1.

Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction » Read Now
by Quentin Skinner. 110 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, History, Entire Library

Niccolo Machiavelli taught that political leaders must be prepared to do evil that good may come of it, and his name has been a byword ever since for duplicity and immorality. Is his sinister reputation deserved? In answering this question Quentin Skinner focuses on three major works, The Prince...
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Niccolo Machiavelli taught that political leaders must be prepared to do evil that good may come of it, and his name has been a byword ever since for duplicity and immorality. Is his sinister reputation deserved? In answering this question Quentin Skinner focuses on three major works, The Prince, the Discourses, and The History of Florence, and distils from them an introduction to Machiavelli's doctrines of exemplary clarity.
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2.

The Prince » Read Now
by Niccolo Machiavelli, Peter Bondanella, Mark Musa. 128 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, History, Entire Library

Described both as a practical rule-book containing timeless precepts for the diplomat and as a handbook of evil, this work of great originality--based on first-hand experience--provides a remarkably uncompromising picture of the true nature of power.
3.

Machiavelli » Read Now
by Maurizio Viroli. 252 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought Series Editor: Dr Mark Philp, Oriel College, University of Oxford Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought present critical examinations of the work of major political philosophers and social theorists, assessing both their initial contribution...
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Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought Series Editor: Dr Mark Philp, Oriel College, University of Oxford Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought present critical examinations of the work of major political philosophers and social theorists, assessing both their initial contribution and continuing relevance to politics and society. Each volume provides a clear, accessible, historically-informed account of each thinker's work, focusing on a re-assessment of their central ideas and arguments. Founders encourage scholars and students to link their study of classic texts to current debates in political philosophy and social theory. This launch volume in the Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought series presents a critical examination of Machiavelli's thought, combining an accessible, historically-informed account of his work with a re-assessment of his central ideas and arguments. Maurizio Viroli challenges the accepted interpretations of Machiavelli's work, insisting that his republicanism was based not on a commitment to virtue, greatness, and expansion, but to the ideal of civic life protected by the shield of fair laws. His detailed study of how Machiavelli composed his famous work The Prince presents new interpretations, and he further argues that the most challengingand completely underestimatedaspect of Machiavelli's thought is his philosophy of life, in particular his conceptions of love, women, irony, God, and the human condition. Viroli demonstrates that Machiavelli composed The Prince, and all his works, according to the rules of classical rhetoric and never intended to found the 'modern science of politics', aiming rather to continue and refine the practice of political theorising as a rhetorical endeavour taught by the Roman masters of civic philosophy. Viroli's Machiavelli, a serious challenge to contemporary methods of doing political theory, will be essential for advanced students of the history of political thought.
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4.

The Private Correspondence of Nicolo Machiavelli » Read Now
by Orestes Ferrara. 160 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
5.

Machiavelli and Renaissance Italy (1961) » Read Now
by J. R. Hale. 244 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...-i- MACHIAVELLI and Renaissance Italy is one of...the TEACH YOURSELF HISTORY LIBRARY MACHIAVELLI and Renaissance Italy by J. R...Preface xi I Machiavelli: Some Preliminary...
6.

Machiavelli: Cynic, Patriot, or Political Scientist? (1960) » Read Now
by De Lamar Jensen. 112 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...MACHIAVELLI Cynic, Patriot, or Political Scientist? PROBLEMS...IT SIGNIFY THE RENAISSANCE -- MEDIEVAL OR MODERN? MACHIAVELLI -- CYNIC, PATRIOT, OR POLITICAL SCIENTIST?...
7.

Secret Sharers in Italian Comedy: From Machiavelli to Goldoni » Read Now
by Jackson I. Cope. 224 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

Modern vernacular comedy took shape in early sixteenth-century Italy with the many plays adapted from and modeled on Plautine New Comedy. As Jackson I. Cope demonstrates in this study, some Italian dramatists reacted to the wide-spread success of this genre with a counterparadigm, a comedy that...
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Modern vernacular comedy took shape in early sixteenth-century Italy with the many plays adapted from and modeled on Plautine New Comedy. As Jackson I. Cope demonstrates in this study, some Italian dramatists reacted to the wide-spread success of this genre with a counterparadigm, a comedy that exploits secrecy as form. In both historically and critically engaging fashion, Cope identifies and examines this major development in Italian theater. Cope's close and original readings of both classic and lesser-known plays by Machiavelli, Ruzante, Cecchi, Grazzini, Fagiuoli, Maggi, and others follow this peculiarly Italian, anti-Plautine paradigm through variations across three centuries to its masterful and complex culmination in Carlo Goldoni's villeggiatura trilogy. Secret Sharers in Italian Comedy establishes a new comedic canon that demands a revision of Italian dramatic history and the history of European dramatic theory.
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8.

Machiavelli Revisited » Read Now
by Joseph V. Femia. 149 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library
9.

Machiavelli's 'Art of War': A Reconsideration, in Renaissance Quarterly » Read Now
by Marcia L. Colish. 18 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
10.

Theater and Its Social Uses: Machiavelli's Mandragola and the Spectacle of Infamy » Read Now
by Jane Tylus. 32 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
11.

Skirting the Issue: Machiavelli's Caterina Sforza, in Renaissance Quarterly » Read Now
by Julia L. Hairston. 26 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
12.

Political Action: The Key to Understanding Politics (Chap. 5 "Pragmatic Action: Machiavelli and Alinsky") » Read Now
by George Beam, Dick Simpson. 276 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
13.

Political Theories of International Relations: From Thucydides to the Present (Chap. 5 "Machiavelli, Human Nature, and the Exemplar of Rome") » Read Now
by David Boucher. 456 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Boucher uses ideas of Western philosophy's most significant thinkers to trace the history of political theory in international relations. He ends by showing how theories compare with and extend the themes addressed by their predecessors.
14.

Hypocrisy and Integrity: Machiavelli, Rousseau, and the Ethics of Politics » Read Now
by Ruth W. Grant. 201 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Questioning the usual judgements of political ethics, Ruth W. Grant argues that hypocrisy can actually be constructive while strictly principled behavior can be destructive. Hypocrisy and Integrity offers a new conceptual framework that clarifies the differences between idealism and fanaticism while...
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Questioning the usual judgements of political ethics, Ruth W. Grant argues that hypocrisy can actually be constructive while strictly principled behavior can be destructive. Hypocrisy and Integrity offers a new conceptual framework that clarifies the differences between idealism and fanaticism while it uncovers the moral limits of compromise. "Exciting and provocative. . . . Grant's work is to be highly recommended, offering a fresh reading of Rousseau and Machiavelli as well as presenting a penetrating analysis of hypocrisy and integrity."--Ronald J. Terchek, American Political Science Review "A great refreshment. . . . With liberalism's best interests at heart, Grant seeks to make available a better understanding of the limits of reason in politics."--Peter Berkowitz, New Republic
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15.

Milton on Machiavelli: Representations of the State in 'Paradise Lost,' in Renaissance Quarterly » Read Now
by Barbara Riebling. 25 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, History, Literature, Entire Library
16.

Machiavelli, Marketing, and Management » Read Now
by Phil Harris, Andrew Lock, Patricia Rees. 242 pgs.

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Providing insight into the meaning and interpretation of Machiavelli and his works for management, marketing and political thought, this text highlights their relevance to the manager today.