Machiavelli, the "Prince" of Popular Government or Radical Aristocrat?

Brian Dresnin

OAI: oai:digitalcommons.ursinus.edu:pol_sum-1027

Machiavelli's book, The Discourses, argues for republican government through analyzing Roman historian Titus Livy's History of Rome. In this essay, I argue that contrary to the influential view of scholars, such as John McCormick, that The Discourses argues in favor of a popular republic, the decemvirate episode shows that Machiavelli favors an aristocratic republic, a view expressed by just a few scholars, including Harvey Mansfield. Like many other readers of Machiavelli, I suppose that Machiavelli's thought sheds light on contemporary issues, such as populism and class conflict in politics. But understanding Machiavelli as an aristocratic republican changes our understanding of his lessons for contemporary republics and the remedies we should consider.

Political Theory Philosophy Machiavelli Roman history Livy Roman decemvirate Discourses Political Science Social and Behavioral Sciences