The 3 most important books of Machiavelli

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This lesson from a TEACHER, we will review the most important books of Machiavelli, Italian political philosopher and writer and one of the most prominent figures of the Renaissance, whose treatise on political theory, PrinceIt is possibly the work of his summit of his, and that has laid the foundations of modern political thought and exerted a great influence on humanist philosophy. Also noteworthy are its Speeches on Pimera Década de Tito Livio or From the Art of War. We will dedicate this article by a PROFESSOR to these 3 books. If you want to know more about the most important books of Niccolò Machiavelli, he continues reading this lesson. We started!

Index

1. List of the most important works of Nicolás Machiavelli
2. The Prince, Machiavelli's most important book
3. Discourses on the first decade of Tito Livio, another of Machiavelli's most important books
4. From the Art of War. A fundamental work of Nicolás Machiavelli

Here is a list of the most important books of Machiavelli, although as we have said, we will limit ourselves to talking about the 3 most representative, and that have marked a before and after in the way of understanding and doing politics.

1. Discourse on the court of Pisa.
2. Portrait of the court of Germany.
3. Portrait of the court of France.
4. Discourses on the first decade of Tito Livio.
5. Prince.
6. Andria.
7. The mandrake.
8. From the art of war.
9. Summary of the court of the city of Lucca.
10. The Life of Castruccio Castracani.
11. History of Florence.
12. Florentine stories.

Machiavelli's work is highly influenced by Lorenzo de Medici, and in fact, The Prince, try to be a guide to how a country is governed, dedicated to Lorenzo II, his grandson. At that time, Italy was going through a deep crisis and was in danger of splitting. To Pope Alexander VI and his son, César Borgia, Duke Valentino, he also dedicates a large part of this work.

And how must this Prince that Machiavelli describes in his book be?

The Prince that Machiavelli draws represents a person aware of the need to adapt to changing circumstances. Here is the basis of success. Only he who knows that he must change the way he acts depending on the moment, will achieve victory. The phrase has been attributed to him “The end justifies the means”Although he never expressed it this way, it is true that it sums up Machiavelli's political philosophy. There are no good or bad actions, only ends. Morality and politics are different things and the first should not influence the second. Decisions that are made in the political arena can violate morality. The only thing that matters is the triumph of the country.

Machiavelli, like Hobbes, bet on the innate evil of the human being, which will try to do evil whenever he can. If he can profit from a bad deed, he will commit it. Therefore, when governing, the Prince must never forget this, because ...

"If a person wishes to found a state and create the laws of it, he must begin by assuming that all men are perverse and who are prepared to show their nature, as long as they find the occasion to it"

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Speeches on the first decade of Tito Livio is a book published before Prince and constitutes a defending from the Republic as a model of state.

In the work Take the Republic of Rome as an example. Machiavelli starts from the assumption that there is an opposition between the government and the people, which can be limited to the public sphere if the people can participate in it through its institutions, which must be very well organized, so that this confrontation can be maintained in a internal. Otherwise, the Republic runs the risk of failure. The Republic is a form of government based on the consensus and popular control.

“A Republic can be called happy where a man appears so wise that he gives him a set of laws, under which one can safely live without the need to correct them ”.

Machiavelli does in this work a harsh criticism of the government of the Italy of his time, as well as of its administration and its institutions. Furthermore, he accuses the Church of trying to divide the country. The book is divided into 3 parts:

• Book I: description of the internal structure of the republic.
• Book II: war issues.
• Book III: defines how a good leader must be.

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From the Art of War it's a military treatise dedicated to Lorenzo de Medici and it constitutes, like the previous ones, a condemnation of the military institutions of the Italy of his time, and at the same time, it develops his own theory. The book reminds the Plato's dialogues, since through a conversation with the Italian mercenary Fabrizio with other people invited to a house, he develops all of his military policy.

Thus, the guests ask questions, and Fabrizio, who speaks through Machiavelli's mouth, responds by defending his position, on various questions of military policy. After question time, none of the participants will ask any more questions.

Machiavelli's military policy is based on the military institutions of Roman times, defending all his military methods and strategies and relying, for this, on concrete examples. Recovering the Roman military system could, says the philosopher, bring order to the military institutions of his country again.

“The custom of honoring and rewarding virtues, not despising poverty, appreciating the spirit and norms of military discipline, forcing citizens to love each other the one and the other, living without flags, appreciating the particular less than the public, and other things like these, which would easily be compatible with our epoch."

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If you want to read more articles similar to Most important books of Machiavelli, we recommend that you enter our category of Philosophy.

Nicholas Machiavelli. Prince. Ed. Planet

Nicholas Machiavelli. Speeches on the First Decade of Livy. Ed. Planet

Nicholas Machiavelli. From the Art of War. Ed. Planet