Description

Book Synopsis
It is not the well-being of individuals that makes cities great, but the well-being of the community

Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolò Machiavelli. But while his treatise The Prince made his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation, The Discourses (c.1517) shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics. In this carefully argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposed a system of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling the virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, but also clear-eyed and pragmatic, The Discourses creates a modern theory of republic politics.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature

Table of Contents
The DiscoursesPreface
Introduction by Bernard Crick
So Many Machiavellis
The Prince and The Discourses
Republics as Mixed Government
The Mixture as Adaptability
The Value of Conflict
Factors of Social Class
The Conditions for Republican Rule
Theory and Method
Politics and Morality
The Letter to Vettori
Suggestions for Further Reading

THE DISCOURSES OF NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI
Table of Contents
The Text
Notes

The Discourses Penguin Classics

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    A Paperback / softback by Niccolo Machiavelli, Bernard Crick, Bernard Crick

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      Book details

      Publisher Penguin Random House Group
      Imprint Penguin Classics
      Published 27 October 1983
      ISBN-13 9780140444285
      978-0140444285
      ISBN-10 0140444289
      Also in:
      Politics, Philosophy & Society Political science and theory Political structure and processes Social and political philosophy Books by Niccolo Machiavelli

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      It is not the well-being of individuals that makes cities great, but the well-being of the community

      Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolò Machiavelli. But while his treatise The Prince made his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation, The Discourses (c.1517) shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics. In this carefully argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposed a system of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling the virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, but also clear-eyed and pragmatic, The Discourses creates a modern theory of republic politics.

      For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature

      Table of Contents
      The DiscoursesPreface
      Introduction by Bernard Crick
      So Many Machiavellis
      The Prince and The Discourses
      Republics as Mixed Government
      The Mixture as Adaptability
      The Value of Conflict
      Factors of Social Class
      The Conditions for Republican Rule
      Theory and Method
      Politics and Morality
      The Letter to Vettori
      Suggestions for Further Reading

      THE DISCOURSES OF NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI
      Table of Contents
      The Text
      Notes

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