The Machiavellian political tradition: ideology and theory

Abstract

This work critically analyzes the integration of monarchical works, such as The Prince, and republican works, such as The Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius, by Niccolò Machiavelli, to constitute together a general theory of the State and forms of government. In this integration I maintain that Machiavellian political theory consolidates one of the most important republican traditions in the history of modern political thought, which even today has a valuable critical capacity of contemporary theories of democracy. In this critical reconstruction of Machiavelli's work, I use an interpretive perspective based on the concept of political tradition, which integrates both the concern for the philosophical analysis of theoretical concepts and principles, and the concern for the analysis of the author's historical context.