Machiavelli was an Italian writer and politician during the Renaissance period who is considered the founder of modern political science. He wrote several influential works including The Prince and The Discourses. Machiavelli believed that strong leadership and power were needed to unite the divided Italian states and save Italy from its weakened condition. He advocated for putting the interests of the state over religious and moral concerns, which was a radical departure from political thought at the time. His ideas had a profound impact on the development of political theory and the rise of the modern nation state.
Machiavelli was an Italian writer and politician during the Renaissance period who is considered the founder of modern political science. He wrote several influential works including The Prince and The Discourses. Machiavelli believed that strong leadership and power were needed to unite the divided Italian states and save Italy from its weakened condition. He advocated for putting the interests of the state over religious and moral concerns, which was a radical departure from political thought at the time. His ideas had a profound impact on the development of political theory and the rise of the modern nation state.
Machiavelli was an Italian writer and politician during the Renaissance period who is considered the founder of modern political science. He wrote several influential works including The Prince and The Discourses. Machiavelli believed that strong leadership and power were needed to unite the divided Italian states and save Italy from its weakened condition. He advocated for putting the interests of the state over religious and moral concerns, which was a radical departure from political thought at the time. His ideas had a profound impact on the development of political theory and the rise of the modern nation state.
Machiavelli was an Italian writer and politician during the Renaissance period who is considered the founder of modern political science. He wrote several influential works including The Prince and The Discourses. Machiavelli believed that strong leadership and power were needed to unite the divided Italian states and save Italy from its weakened condition. He advocated for putting the interests of the state over religious and moral concerns, which was a radical departure from political thought at the time. His ideas had a profound impact on the development of political theory and the rise of the modern nation state.
One of several famous Italian Renaissance figures. Although most of these men were known for their visual arts (paintings and sculptures), Machiavelli was famous for his writings. (1469-1527) was an Italian writer and politician during the Renaissance. Spent most of his adult life in Florence and served as a government official there. Many historians credit Machiavelli as the founder of political science because of how his work and writings shaped modern politics. Political Science is the study of governments and politics. The Prince The Discourses The Art of War History of Elorence Historical Observational Realistic Scientific Comparative Analytical Machiavelli is considered as the father of modern political theory and political science. Apart from conjecturing about the state, he also given meaning to the concept of sovereignty. Nation State supporter : Italy was divided into 5 parts which had the possibility of being attacked. Machiavelli wanted to unite the parts into one as he believed that it is better. He kept the nation state at the top of any other institute. Laws were not divine : He said that man made the laws hence, they may have merits and demerits and also can be amended. This is a modern thought as during Machiavelli’s time, the state was ruled by the pope and he was considered equal to God. No, one dared to go against the laws and orders of the pope. As we see today laws can be amended according to the needs of the society and people. Modern nature of state : Machiavelli told that state has the power of compulsion. If someone is not performing his/her duties, state has the right to make him/her do that duty and that person is bound to do that. Today, in India, Mandamus is an example. He also gave the concept of welfare state. Differentiated religion and Politics : He said that religion and politics can not go together as religion is a personal matter and politics is a public matter. This was said when these two were practiced together as pope handled the political issues. But Machiavelli didn't considered it as a successful practice. Supporter of sovereignty : He never gave a particular definition of sovereignty but he do explained it. He said that state was different from other institutions as it has sovereignty and sovereignty can not be given or taken. Power politics : He said that power is important, whether of money or strength. He suggested the king that he should be fearless and should use his power whenever necessary. Power indeed is an important factor which cannot be ignored and this is the reason why he is called the realistic thinker. Machiavelli had gained immense fame in developing political thought. He was an Italian Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer. He has often been referred as the originator of modern political science. He was the first thinker who freed political science or theory from the clutches of religion and morality. Absolutism Reason of the State Power Politics and Self-Sufficient State Politics and Religion Idea about State Omnipotent Legislator SABINE:- “No man of his age saw so clearly the direction that political evolution was taking throughout Europe. No man knew better than he the archaism of the institutions that were being displaced or accepted more readily the part that naked force was playing in the process. Yet no one in that age appreciated more highly the inchoate sense of national unity on which this force was obscurely based. No one was more clearly aware of the moral and political corruption that went with the decay of long-accustomed loyalties and pieties”. Machiavelli had profound knowledge about social and political conditions of Italy and that created a lot of frustration and agony in his mind. He was a great patriot and he thought that Italy could be saved from this ignoble condition. He, for that reason, adopted an uncompromising stand. He, it is true, took an uncompromising attitude towards religion, morality and ethics. The dominating role of church and papacy was primarily responsible for the all-round deterioration of human society. He pinpointed it and suggested a way out. We may not agree with his suggestion, but the mere fact is that he had no other solution. “Indoctrinated as he was in the pagan revival in Italy he was unable both by training and temperament to grasp the constitutional and the moral ideals that European politics would carry over from the Middle Ages” At the beginning of the sixteenth century constitutionalism was not highly rated as a good palliative for social and political malady. He understood the malady and applied his knowledge and experience. We may not agree but we cannot blame him. He was a materialist and, at the same time, realist. Berki says that Machiavelli had clear conception about all the aspects of his contemporary society. Let us quote few words from Berki – of course, in truth Machiavelli’s cynicism and practical concern are not the most important things about him, what we have to realize is that he had a clear and by no means ignoble, political vision” Every political philosopher is the product of his time and Machiavelli is no exception. Plato, Aristotle, Marx all luminaries fall within this category. He believed that only a powerful prince could save Italy. If we judge Machiavelli in a conventional way it will be found that he was guilty—guilty in the sense that he advised prince and politician to ignore morality and ethics. But he is to be judged in the background of his time and if we do this our conclusion will be of different nature. He is a thinker par excellence. His knowledge about contemporary political situation was really laudable. What he said is quite natural. He was a patriot, he was a practical man. Applying the best of his knowledge he advised the prince in such manner. Dunning said “The influence of Machiavelli upon the history of political theories can hardly be exaggerated. Not only the method and substance of his philosophy but also the marvelous literary art with which it was expressed served to win for its universal attention” . We appreciate Dunning’s assessment. His literary art is praiseworthy, but more praiseworthy is his good command over real situation of his contemporary Italy. His idea of power politics is absolutely pragmatic. His advice to the prince was— if he wants to achieve unity and progress of his state his sole aim would be to make his state militarily powerful and to that extent he must ignore Christian values, moral considerations and ethical judgments. Interesting to note that in the second half of the twentieth century the leaders of the superpowers followed the same track which created several crises. We do not know whether Machiavelli’s prince followed his advice. But politician of seventies and eighties of the twentieth century exactly did the same thing. Machiavelli’s state is the real state. His idea of power politics is absolutely pragmatic. His advice to the prince was— if he wants to achieve unity and progress of his state his sole aim would be to make his state militarily powerful and to that extent he must ignore Christian values, moral considerations and ethical judgments. Interesting to note that in the second half of the twentieth century the leaders of the superpowers followed the same track which created several crises. We do not know whether Machiavelli’s prince followed his advice. But politician of seventies and eighties of the twentieth century exactly did the same thing. Machiavelli’s state is the real state. It is never the embodiment of Christian values or morality. The state has an autonomous value and that value is the power of the state. This is the reason of the state. He advised his prince to make the republic as strong as possible so that it would have not to depend upon others. The Renaissance brought about an upheaval in the social, political and to some extent in the economic sphere of many European states and Machiavelli’s Florence or other states were no exception. Establishment of strong monarchies Rise of National States Division of Italy: Machiavelli’s contemporary Italy was divided into the following five states- Kingdom Naples in the south, Milan in the North West, and Venice in the north-east, the Republic of Florence, and the Papal state. Pope as the hindrance in the unity of Italy Bad condition of society of Italy Fraud & diplomacy followed by the weak states of Italy the unification of Italy was the burning question because it was strongly felt that without unification any progress was impossible. Not only this, the whole of Italy was under the strong grip of corruption and mismanagement. A strong and powerful ruler was the need of the time and Machiavelli focused his attention to that. His conviction was that only a powerful prince could save Italy from disunity, profligacy and debauchery. This division of Italy, Machiavelli was convinced, was the root cause of the backwardness and numerous ills from which Italy suffered. ARISTOTLE Idea of Separation of Ethics & Politics
Empirical and historical method
State is the highest organization
Types of Government
Self interest: the most potent of all factors of
political motivation MARSILIO Secularism Man is completely self centered and egoistic Man is essentially aggressive Men are stupid and irrational Men love new things Love & Fear are powerful constituents of human nature Love of wealth is a powerful motive Men are jealous Men are ambitious Men want freedom Man is compound of evil and good Not a scientific analysis Establishes fear as the basis of state Man is not incorrigible For Machiavelli, state has its origin in the calculating self interest on the part of individuals. For, human beings are selfish, egoistic and ambitious, but weak and fickle. The state for Machiavelli is an artificial creation. Machiavelli identifies three kinds of state, viz., monarchy, aristocracy and republic. He neglected aristocracy, hailed republic as best but favored monarchy in Italy which was plagued by many problems. State exists only on account of interplay of material interests. Likewise, he makes the Church subservient to the state. Machiavelli supports the constitution of state by citizens with spirit of probity, law abidingness, and trustworthiness in the performance of public duties. Machiavelli puts faith in the reality of power politics. For him, there remains an inherent tendency in states to expand and continue. To quote him, “All free governments have two principal ends: one of which is to preserve their liberties and the other to enlarge their dominions”. Machiavelli is in favour of maintaining a national army without which a state cannot survive for longer period, so he advocates military training for citizens between the age of 17 and 40. Though, Machiavelli considered force and fear as important ingredient in administration, he does not relegate the significance of law. He regards it as an important aspect in inculcating ‘virtue’ among citizens. Machiavelli believed that Florence’s citizens needed: a strong Prince; a nation composed of relatively powerless people which was best served by a powerful and centralized government, which would make their decisions for them and aggressively defend their interests to the betterment of all fortune. A skilful statesman should have the ability to make use of it, but not to rely upon the fortuitous events, which might occur in his career. He saw virtue as ruthlessness and all that goes with it: Bravery; courage; strength; vigor and prowess, although these virtue's don’t guarantee success, because this means relying on fortune. Machiavelli believed the best methods of defence are those based on your own virtue and virtue is the key to achieving success amid the changes of fortunes. Machiavelli’s theories on the state are essentially idealistic and possibly unrealistic but the city of Florence’s welfare was always his first priority, he was devoted to Florence with its fine architecture and talented, artistic people. Machiavelli loved his native city “ more than his own soul”. He was basically a generous and good man. He had a dream that he would see the redemption of Italy and a society of good and pure men. Machiavelli was a practical politician who was greatly disturbed by the conditions of his native state. He never claimed to be political philosopher. His ‘Prince’ contains the tips given to the fictional prince. The ‘Prince’ as mainly a handbook on the art of ruling and maintaining oneself in power in his advice; he is mainly concerned with the actual state of his time without bothering about its origin, nature, functions etc. Allen says “The Prince was written of a Prince, for a Prince and for no one else”? However in subsequent period, his ideas were concretized to develop a systematic whole. The following are the various ideas of Machiavelli on state that can be said to have formed into a systematic political theory. To use power ruthlessly To use persuasion artfully To act decisively To maintain a strong national army To be well versed in the art of war To be popular among the people To be better feared than loved To abstain from property and women of subjects To be good showman To destroy liberty To choose his own counselors To be watchful in economic affairs To avoid flatterers To posses virtue To observe utmost secrecy To abstain from property & women of subjects To be popular among the people To create public spirit To play fox & lion when necessary The Discourses provides a different viewpoint on politics. The work is a defence of republics, as the best form of government for preserving liberty and security because power is shared between the lower and upper class. "There should never be an institution which allows the few to decide on any matter which in the ordinary course of things is essential to the maintenance of the commonwealth“. The matters of government should be solely secular. The philosopher strives to create a new type of republic, which would deal only with practical issues and without asserting any mystical moral law. Inconsistent with his concept of virtue Not philosophically profound Narrowly local & narrowly dated philosophy He gave more importance to ends than to means His view of human nature is not correct Not a systematic thinker Force alone cannot hold the society His Prince can use tyrannical methods for selfish ends Contradiction in his appreciation of Monarchy on the one hand and Republican Government on the other Concept of territorial, national & sovereign state Separation of politics from ethics Secularism Emphasis on material forces Exponent of power politics Method of approaching problems Pragmatism Public spirit as the basis of state Emphasis on public psychology Modern nationalism Machiavelli's political doctrine is discerning especially in those situations where there is unpredictability or substantial change. He is known to be a transitional figure standing midway between the medieval and modern political thought. He was a historian who laid the foundations of a new science of politics by assimilating contemporary history with ancient past. His famous writing is The Prince, a playbook, a manual of sorts, for leadership where government needs to be created or stabilized. Machiavelli is considered the first political theorist to reject Ancient viewpoint, which is characterized by happiness is goal, a well formed society like a beehive, everyone in their place and peaceful (Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, etc.), holistic philosophy including all facets of existence, ontology and nature or Gods who control fate of humanity. He has had an amazingly immense influence on modern civilization. Firstly, Machiavelli's opinions on politics and political leaders effected how future political leaders would run their countries. Furthermore, Machiavelli had also influence on the future of modern western civilization in comparison to the renaissance artists of his time.