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Chapter 33 The Desk Book of European Monarchs

Chapter 32 The desk book of European monarchs: "The Prince"

Machiavelli occupies an important position in the history of Western political thought. On the one hand, he systematically summarized the

The author's method of government, which is prominently expressed in his political amoralism that the end justifies the means, this Machiavelli
The idea of ​​communism was vigorously advocated and widely disseminated by some politicians of later generations; on the other hand, Machiavelli advocated the unity of Italy
One, to maintain kingship, praise the Roman republic and his military thought has been affirmed and praised by a group of thinkers.

The book "The Prince" based on his political experience

Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a statesman, foreign writer and political thinker in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance

.During college, in

Italian
Under the influence of the famous humanist and linguist Adriani, he has laid a solid foundation in classical literature, and at the same time has a great understanding of historiography.
, especially the history of ancient Rome, the social sciences are quite researched.He was deeply influenced by the works of Cicero in his view of social history. 1494
He began his political career as an assistant to the government in [-].

In 1512, the Medici family returned to Florence with the support of the Spaniards, and Soderini resigned.

Go, and the Republic will collapse.Machiavelli was deposed from all posts by the Medici government. In 1513 he had
Arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of participating in a conspiracy against the Medici family, he defended his innocence and was released soon after.Since then, he lived in seclusion in

In a small farm left by his father, he lived a difficult rural life.But he still did not forget the ideal of running the country and governing the world.

keep exploring theoretically.

Until 1527, the Medici family was overthrown again.Now he was back in Florence, ready to restore his position, when this

Before his efforts were successful, he died.

Machiavelli lived in a time when Italy was in a period of serious internal and external troubles.The entire Italian peninsula is divided into 5

Larger states: Kingdom of Naples in the south, Duchy of Milan in the northwest, Republic of Venice ruled by nobles in the northeast
, the Republic of Florence in the middle, and the Papacy in the center.The pope's secular powers expanded, becoming many of Italy's
One of the rulers who himself had no power to unify Italy, but had enough power to prevent other rulers from doing so.this southern europe

The peninsula is politically divided and the society is extremely corrupt. The French, Spaniards and Germans continue to invade in an attempt to achieve various goals.

The ambition to control and dominate Italy.Italians suffered from the oppression of tyranny and the bullying of foreign powers.Florence
The repeated catastrophes of the Republic of China and the vagaries of Machiavelli's political career made him see clearly the importance of seeking the unity of the Italian country.

The urgent need for national independence and freedom.Based on his 14 years of political career, especially diplomatic experience, Machiavelli wrote "The King"
Main Theory".

Machiavelli's masterpiece, The Prince, is dedicated to Lorenzo of the Medici (1449-149), the ruler of Florence.
2), he called on Lorenzo to be committed to the unification of Italy, and focused on the methods and tactics of consolidating the monarchy.his

Political and legal theory focuses on the issues of seizing power and consolidating power.

The monarchy establishes the country and organizes the army

The main purpose of the book "The Prince" written by Machiavelli was to provide the Medici kings for the unification of Italy

In the book, he narrates his thoughts on the origin and purpose of the state, the political system, the art of ruling, military theory, etc.

Think about the point of view.

Machiavelli first demonstrated the origin of the state from the bourgeois theory of human nature.He pointed out that in primitive society people had

Scattered and isolated life, and then on the basis of production development, the population continues to grow, in order to satisfy their own desires

And fight and be hostile to each other.And the reason why people have hostility and disputes is because they are all selfish, because people

Nature dictates.According to Machiavelli, human nature must pursue sensual pleasures and avoid sensual pains.

It is to pursue things that are beneficial to oneself.Life is a process of endless pursuit to satisfy personal desires.He even believed that human desire
Hope demands to stop, and his life is over.Machiavelli concluded that people are greedy both in power and property
Insatiable, but things like power and property are limited after all.If the natural development of human nature is left unchecked

, that will inevitably lead to a state of anarchy in which each other competes and kills each other.This is extremely detrimental to humans.to get rid of

In a hostile state, it is necessary to establish a country, have a strong government, use legal means to maintain social order, and make people's desires
Restricted within a considerable range, so that the conflicting state of society can be maintained in a balance.

Machiavelli said that there have been only two types of national government since ancient times, that is, either a republic or a monarchy.The monarchy is divided into
Inherited monarchy and new monarchy.In his opinion, the hereditary monarchy is always more stable and easier to rule than the new monarchy.

This is because borrowing the prestige of the ancestors and ministers
The loyalty of the people is in order to maintain its rule.Apparently The Prince contains elements of hereditary monarchy.

"The Prince" also discusses in detail how to consolidate the new monarchy.In terms of regime choice, he is at a paradoxical

Psychological state, according to its original intention, a republic should be established, because only under a republic system can the freedom and happiness of citizens be guaranteed.

But under the specific historical conditions of Italy, he still advocated the implementation of the monarchy in order to unify the country.The reason is that at the time

Italy is divided politically, people's morality is decadent, local chaos, and people's livelihood is difficult.In this case, the only way out is the first

Establish an absolute monarchy first.Overcome division, inspire virtue in the people, restore social order, and prosper through a strong monarch

The economy makes the country strong.Machiavelli pinned his political hopes on the kingship, which is a historical requirement of the bourgeoisie

inevitable reflection.This was historically progressive at the time.

"The Prince" made a clear division of various types of monarchy: such as hereditary monarchy, mixed monarchy, relying on their own military
New principalities acquired by force and ability, new principalities acquired by the force of others or by luck, civil monarchies and

Religious Monarchies, etc.This distinction is intended to reveal the ruler
How do rulers refer to the experience of other countries and combine their own actual conditions to establish a monarchy that suits them according to local conditions.no

Suspicion is the first condition that a monarch must consider at the beginning of the founding of the country.

As a monarch, the establishment of a country depends on one's own ability, and the focus must be on one's own strength.
After maintaining his position, there is not much difficulty.This is Machiavelli's first proposal for the monarch to consolidate his power position.
Two principles.

When a monarch first takes the throne, he will always encounter hostile or resisting forces of one kind or another, so he should be bold and violent.
Solve those problems that must be solved by violence, and don't be afraid to do other evil and cruel things.This is Machiavelli

The third principle for the consolidation of the sovereign's position of power.

"On the Prince" also discusses the qualities that a monarch should possess
and style.The book holds that a monarch must never be greedy or occupy the property of his subjects and their women.

arouse the people
hate thing.And guarding against flattery and encouraging his subjects to be outspoken is also the style of a wise monarch, which can make him
Make no mistakes, so that your ruling measures can effectively cooperate with your subjects.

For a country, how to strengthen its power position after the founding of the country, in addition to the above points, it also needs to establish its own

army.Machiavelli pointed out that no country can be stable without its own army.The so-called own army is
An army composed of subjects, citizens, or subjects.A prince should have nothing but war, military system, and training

Target.He considered it the "sole profession" of the monarch.Attention should be paid to military training in peacetime, and precautions can be taken in wartime.
Take the initiative.If you focus on military affairs and are proficient in military affairs, you can win a country; if you don't organize the army and neglect military affairs, you will lose the country.

The military is one of the most important topics discussed in "The Monarchy". At the same time, the author himself regards the military as the most important thing for human beings all his life.
Great cause, for which he devoted his whole life.

Machiavelli advocated the establishment of a well-trained national army, and believed that only by the country's own nationals to form an army, strictly

Only with strict training and strict discipline can we have combat effectiveness.In addition to having an excellent national army, the king or monarch should also pay attention to the strategic and tactical
Research.A good monarch should be enthusiastic about martial arts and proficient in strategy and tactics.Machiavelli pointed out: A king, except

Apart from the study of war strategy and the training of the national army, there should be no other purpose or thought, and no need to choose other things
To study, so as not to be distracted and lose the initiative; war is the only art that belongs to the king, and its power is so great that it cannot be ignored.
But the man who is born to be a king can maintain his position, and those who are in opposition often become kings in a single leap through war.do it in reverse

If a person of Renjun indulges in leisure and entertainment and does not pay attention to martial arts, he will lose his country. The first reason for losing the country is that the general

tactics, and the person who wins the throne must first be proficient in tactics.Finally, he also believes that the monarch as a commander in war must personally
Supervise the battle, kill the enemy bravely, and set an example for the soldiers with practical actions.

The masterpiece of intellectual history and the foundation of political science

Today, more than 400 years after the publication of "The Prince", it still maintains a very important influence.

It can be said that the basis of the theory of "The Prince" is entirely on the power of the world and human factors, which makes the monarchy completely divorced from the gods.
will lose all sacred color; and before that, all political thinkers regarded the divine right of kings as the legitimacy of the king's power.

in accordance with.Therefore, it is the first political science to get rid of theology, and it marks the end of medieval theological political thought and the modern secular political science.

The origins of political thought. "The Prince" regards power as the basis of law, thus freeing the theoretical concept of politics from morality, political

Science became an independent discipline, as Marx pointed out, Machiavelli had "freed himself from morality to theorize politics

investigation, and proposed to treat political standards with an independent attitude". Machiavelli thus had "the foundation of bourgeois politics
people"

known as. The various arguments in the book "The Prince" are not abstract preaching of empty ideals, but presented in a detached and calm attitude.
The various means to maintain the monarchy can be said to be a model of political science as a practical science.Machiavelli's army
The theory of military affairs and tactical strategy is the summary and development of ancient military thought, and it has important implications for statesmen and military strategists of later generations.
influences.

Of course, the author is not immune to the limitations of the times, but today, we have to look at Machiavelli's politics historically and dialectically.
legal theory, to distinguish Machiavellianism from his political theory, to affirm the progressive aspects of his thought, and to reject his

Reactionary and backward thinking.

(End of this chapter)