This course will examine the development of Machiavelli political thought in its historical context. It was a period of dramatic change, with the passage from either city or regional states to national monarchies. The Florentine Republic, cradle of the Renaissance and Western modern civilization, saw the rise and fall of the Medici family among nearly continuous wars among the French and Spanish crowns for control over the city-states or kingdoms of Italy. In this period Machiavelli wrote his most famous work, The Prince, in which he tried to show how a politician has to effectively found or run a country. He also dealt with the problem of consensus and the role of the army, anticipating issues that are crucial in the current debate. His thought is still extremely influential on several contemporary political thinkers.

300-level Political Science course