The Italian writer and philosopher Machiavelli Niccolo was an important statesman in Florence, holding the post of secretary in charge of foreign policy. But much greater fame was brought to him by the books written by him, among which the political treatise The Sovereign stands apart.
Writer Biography
Future writer and thinker Machiavelli Niccolo was born in a suburb of Florence in 1469. His father was a lawyer. He did everything so that his son received the best education at that time. For this purpose there was no better place than Italy. The main source of knowledge for Machiavelli was the Latin language, in which he read a huge amount of literature. The reference books for him were the works of ancient authors: Josephus Flavius, Macrobius, Cicero, as well as Titus Livius. The young man was fond of history. Later, these tastes were reflected in his own work. The works of the ancient Greeks Plutarch, Polybius and Thucydides became key for the writer.
Machiavelli Niccolo began his public service at a time when Italy was suffering from wars between numerous cities, principalities and republics. A special place was occupied by the Pope, who at the turn of the XV and XVI centuries. was not just a religious pontiff, but also a significant political figure. The fragmentation of Italy and the absence of a single national state made the rich cities of the Apennine peninsula a tasty morsel for other major powers - France, the Holy Roman Empire and the growing power of colonial Spain. The ball of interest was very complex, which led to the emergence and dissolution of political unions. The fateful and vivid events witnessed by Machiavelli Niccolo, greatly influenced not only his professionalism, but also his worldview.
Philosophical views
The ideas expressed by Machiavelli in his books significantly influenced public perception of politics. The author was the first to examine and describe in detail all the behavior patterns of rulers. In the book "Sovereign," he directly stated that the political interests of the state should prevail over agreements and other conventions. Because of this point of view, the thinker is considered an exemplary cynic who will not stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He explained state unprincipledness by serving the highest good purpose.
Niccolo Machiavelli, whose philosophy was born as a result of personal impressions of the state of Italian society at the beginning of the 16th century, not only talked about the benefits of a particular strategy. On the pages of his books, he described in detail the structure of the state, the principles of its work and the relationships within this system. The thinker proposed the thesis that politics is a science in which there are laws and rules. Niccolo Machiavelli believed that a person who has mastered this subject perfectly can predict the future or determine the outcome of a process (war, reform, etc.).
The Importance of Machiavelli's Ideas
The Florentine writer of the Renaissance introduced many new topics for discussion in the humanities. His debate about the appropriateness and compliance with moral standards raised an acute question over which many philosophical schools and teachings still argue.
Discussions about the role of the personality of the ruler in history also first appeared from the pen of Niccolo Machiavelli. The ideas of the thinker led him to the conclusion that, with feudal fragmentation (in which, for example, Italy was located), the sovereign’s character supersedes all power institutions, which harms the inhabitants of his country. In other words, in a fragmented state, the paranoia or weakness of a ruler leads to ten times worse consequences. During his life, Machiavelli saw enough of such picturesque examples thanks to the Italian principalities and republics, where power swayed from side to side like a pendulum. Often, such fluctuations led to wars and other disasters, which hit the common population most painfully.
Therefore, in an appeal to his reader, the author complained that the state cannot be effective without strict central authority. In this case, the system itself compensates for the shortcomings of a weak or incapable ruler.
History of the "Sovereign"
It should be noted that the treatise "Sovereign" was written as a classic application guide intended for Italian politicians. This style of presentation made the book unique for its time. It was a carefully systematized work in which all thoughts were expressed in the form of theses, supported by real examples and logical reasoning. The Sovereign was published in 1532, five years after the death of Niccolo Machiavelli. The views of the former Florentine official immediately resonated with the widest public.
The book became a tabletop for many politicians and statesmen of the following centuries. It is still actively reprinted and is one of the pillars of the humanities dedicated to society and government institutions. The main material for writing the book was the experience of the fall of the Florentine Republic, which survived Niccolo Machiavelli. Quotes from the treatise were included in various textbooks, which taught civil servants from different Italian principalities.
The inheritance of power
The author divided his work into 26 chapters, in each of which he addressed a particular political issue. A deep knowledge of the history of Niccolo Machiavelli (quotes from ancient authors often come across on pages) made it possible to prove his guesses from the experience of the ancient era. For example, he devoted an entire chapter to the fate of the Persian king Darius, captured by Alexander the Great. In his essay, the writer gave an assessment of the collapse of the state and made several arguments about why the country did not rebel after the death of a young commander.
The question of the types of heredity of power was very interested in Niccolo Machiavelli. Politics, in his opinion, depended directly on how the throne passed from predecessor to successor. If the throne is transferred in a reliable way, the state will not be threatened by troubles and crises. At the same time, the book gives several ways to maintain tyrannical power, the author of which was Niccolo Machiavelli. In short, the sovereign can move to a new occupied territory in order to directly monitor local moods. A striking example of such a strategy was the fall of Constantinople in 1453, when the Turkish sultan transferred his capital to this city and renamed it Istanbul.
State Conservation
The author tried to explain in detail to the reader how to keep a captured foreign country. For this, according to the theses of the writer, there are two ways - military and peaceful. At the same time, both methods are acceptable, and they must be skillfully combined to simultaneously appease and frighten the population. Machiavelli was a supporter of the creation of colonies on acquired lands (approximately in the form in which the ancient Greeks or Italian maritime republics did). In the same chapter, the author deduced a golden rule: the sovereign needs to support the weak and weaken the strong in order to maintain balance within the country. The absence of powerful opposing movements helps the authorities maintain a monopoly on violence in the state, which is one of the main signs of reliable and stable governance.
So Niccolo Machiavelli described ways to solve this problem. The philosophy of the writer was formed as a combination of his own managerial experience in Florence and historical knowledge.
The role of personality in history
Since Machiavelli paid great attention to the issue of the importance of personality in history, he also drew up a short outline of the qualities that an effective sovereign should possess. The Italian writer emphasized stinginess, criticizing the generous rulers who wasted their treasury. As a rule, such autocrats are forced to resort to higher taxes in the event of a war or other critical situation, which is extremely annoying to the population.
Machiavelli justified the rigidity of the rulers within the state. He believed that it was precisely such a policy that helped society avoid unnecessary unrest and unrest. If, for example, the emperor prematurely executes people prone to rebellion, he will kill several people, while saving the rest of the population from unnecessary bloodshed. This thesis again repeats the example of the author’s philosophy that the suffering of individuals is nothing compared to the interests of the whole country.
The need for rigidity of rulers
The Florentine writer often reiterated the idea that human nature is unstable, and most of the people around are a bunch of weak and greedy creatures. Therefore, continued Machiavelli, the emperor must inspire awe among his subjects. This will maintain discipline within the country.
As an example, he cited the experience of the legendary ancient commander Hannibal. With the help of cruelty, he maintained order in his multinational army, who had been fighting in a Roman foreign land for several years. Moreover, this was not tyranny, because even the executions and punishment of those guilty of violating the laws were fair, and no one, regardless of their position, could receive immunity. Machiavelli believed that the cruelty of the ruler is justified only if it is not outright robbery of the population and violence against women.
The death of the thinker
After writing the “Sovereign,” the famous thinker devoted the last years of his life to the creation of the “History of Florence,” in which he returned to his favorite genre. He died in 1527. Despite the author’s posthumous fame, the place of his grave is still unknown.