The Political Program of Niccolò Machiavelli on The Prince and the Discourses on Titus Livy
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2014-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The political thought of Niccolò Machiavelli is the most remarkable issues in the sphere
of world politics. Due to his arguable political thought it is not possible to arrive at a common
understanding in his works. Different thinkers interpreted his works differently in their understandings
and they grouped him only from his particular work. Many thinkers consider him as
advocator of tyranny due to his work in The Prince. On the other hand others grouped him as
advocator of republicanism by considering his writing in the Discourses. Some thinkers consider
him as a patriot that exhausted his whole life for his country. Some thinkers also consider his
writings as inconsistent and unrelated to each other. Therefore, Machiavelli is one of the most
misinterpreted thinkers in the world. But for me, his political thought should be understood in his
totality since it is in this way that his political thought will be clear and understandable. Machiavelli
had a political program of establishing republican system in Italy by considering the Romans
republic as a model. He used The Prince as a necessary prerequisite to establish republican
system in Italy. His republican system depends on his political program in The Prince. So, he
developed his first political program to succeed his final political program in the Discourses.
Therefore, my purpose in this thesis is to argue that the main goal of Machiavelli’s political thought, in The Prince and the Discourses, was to establish republican system in Italy like the Romans. Therefore, the whole argument in this thesis revolves around this idea
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Philosophy