Liberty And Founding Of The Republic

At the turn of the fifteenth century and the sixteenth century while Italy was transforming from the mediaeval age into modern society, Machiavelli's political ideas were formed, which implied the deep and complicated contradiction between Florentine republican tradition and the political crisis brought by Italy's long abruption. There are many different viewpoints on his thought. Their divergences are mainly on the following points: whether his ideas were moral or immoral; modernity or anti-modernity; fortuna and virtue; despotism or republicanism. Because of the inconsistencies among his works and the special style of his discussion, different researchers have sketched so many different " images of Machiavelli" from different standpoints that the true image of Machiavelli has been obstructed. This thesis tries to restore the true image of Machiavelli by revealing the consistence and multi-dimensions of his political thought, and interpreting the multi-relations between his ideas and the classical political thought.The first chapter researches into the rise of Machiavelli's ideas in the historical and social background where he had lived. By analyzing Florentine republic tradition and its crisis, it tries to illustrate the following three points. Firstly, Machiavelli's ideas about liberty were mainly stemmed from Florentine republic tradition. In his works, Machiavelli praised the constitutional principles of the Republic of Rome and analyzed the causes for its power. He aimed at contrasting them with the decline of Florentine republican tradition and the enslavement the Italian suffered, and expressed his political idea of uniting Italy. Secondly, the political idea was reflected by his central notion of "liberty". The basic meaning of his "liberty (or freedom)" was opposite to enslavement and equaled "non-domination". Regarding the historical situation and the specific context, it concludes that Machiavelli's "liberty" should have three dimensions: freedom of the nation, a free state, and free citizens. Each dimension of the freedom had its special subject and different connection with traditional thought, which implied that Machiavelli's thought was complex and must be valued from different angles of view. Thirdly, by researching Machiavelli's works and his time, it may be concluded that Machiavelli hoped to found a Republic in Italy in order to complete the following three tasks: unity and independence of Italy, founding a free state, and molding free citizens.The second chapter focuses on that Machiavelli established a new world view, a historical view and a methodology. Machiavelli denied the determinism and teleology of Christianity, and showed for mankind a realistic world where mankind is self-ruled. This was the theoretical basis of Machiavelli's next task, which was to put forward new ideas about the prince's virtue and the art of state. He revealed that the cause of historical development lied in humanity. Accordingly, Machiavelli demonstrated the basic law of the development of mankind's history. He showed the necessity of founding polity according to lessons from mankind's history. In the light of form and event, two categories from ancient Greek philosophy, Machiavelli suggested the methodology of founding republic to a new prince. To some degree the methodology led to the radical character of his political thought.The third chapter studies that how to realize a state's liberty and independence, Machiavelli overturned the traditional view about the prince's virtue based on ethical politics. He regarded evils as the necessity of a state, so he revealed some factors of the legitimacy of state power. Accordingly, Machiavelli brought forward a distinctive view of virtue which was different from the traditional ideas. It was essential for Machiavelli to found a republic in order to make Italian independent and free come true, so in his view it was necessary for the new prince to master some arts of war and establish civic army.The fourth chapter illustrates the basic political principles of the Republic that Machiavelli hoped to found. By reviewing such key words as "sovereignty of the law", "common good", "free state", "vivere civile", and "civic virtue", it's found that Machiavelli inherited and developed ideas of the classical republican freedom, and revealed the principles of the political philosophy on which his republic was conceived. Tracing of Machiavelli's principles on a free state and free citizens showed that he mainly inherited the classical republican tradition. Many of Machiavelli's views about freedom, civic virtue, corruption, power, and faction have had an influence on those thinkers of later generations broadly and deeply. His renewal of the classical republicanism is also beneficial for modern people to review the idea of liberalism. So it is evident that Machiavelli's political ideas about liberty will affect more widely.In a word, the basic kernel of Machiavelli's liberty was "non-domination" which was opposite to enslavement, and its dimensional meanings should be analyzed from different angles of view and its status on the history of thought also should be valued from different standards. Only in this way, we can approach the true Machiavelli and his ideas.