The Influence of Niccolo Machiavelli

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Niccolo Machiavelli was a fifteenth century Florentine author, diplomat and political theorist who is widely considered to be a renaissance Aristotle in terms of his contributions to the political thought of that time. Through his many philosophical texts, he significantly influenced political theory, both throughout history and in the modern world. Specifically, he greatly contributed to the modern state, the modern sense of politics and other aspects of modern society, such as politics in a cultural sense. It is hence the thesis of this essay that Machiavelli did indeed make these contributions and that if were not for the significant humanistic characteristics of the renaissance, Machiavelli’s would not have made such an impact. As many would state, one of Niccolo Machiavelli’s greatest influences, is his contribution to the modern state. Through both of his most prominent books, Il Principe and the Discourses of Livy, Machiavelli distinguishes a stark contrast between the principality (a monarchy) and the republic (a state in which political power is held by the public), for which he expresses a distinct preference (Skinner: 202, 189-212). This promotion of republicanism and his assertion of how these states must be structured has significantly influenced the modern state. Such things as the traditional renaissance city-states to the US constitution hold particular evidence to support this claim, both promoting concepts which Machiavelli addresses and also promotes. As is asserted in the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, Machiavelli’s views and concepts of the republic are extrapolated in the US constitution, considering that his “republican thought …guided the framers of the American constitution.” Others such as J.G.A Pocock (The Machiavellian Moment, 2007) consider that Machiavelli’s republican thought was present in the establishment and structure of
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