Machiavelli is popularly known as a teacher of tyrants, a key proponent of the unscrupulous "Machiavellian" politics laid down in his landmark political treatise 'The Prince'. Others cite the 'Discourses on Livy' to argue that Machiavelli is actually a passionate advocate of republican politics who saw the need for occasional harsh measures to maintain political order. Which best characterizes the teachings of the prolific Italian philosopher? With 'Machiavelli's Politics', Catherine H. Zuckert turns this question on its head with a major reinterpretation of Machiavelli's prose works that reveals a surprisingly cohesive view of politics. Starting with Machiavelli's two major political works, Zuckert persuasively shows that the moral revolution Machiavelli sets out in 'The Prince' lays the foundation for the new form of democratic republic he proposes in the 'Discourses'. Distrusting ambitious politicians to serve the public interest of their own accord, Machiavelli sought to persuade them in 'The Prince' that the best way to achieve their own ambitions was to secure the desires and ambitions of their subjects and fellow citizens. In the 'Discourses', he then describes the types of laws and institutions that would balance the conflict between the two in a way that would secure the liberty of most, if not all. In the second half of her book, Zuckert places selected later works - 'La Mandragola', 'The Art of War', 'The Life of Castruccio Castracani', 'Clizia', and 'Florentine Histories' - under scrutiny, showing how Machiavelli further developed certain aspects of his thought in these works.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.