The philosophers of Enlightenment about the state.

The 16th century was characterized by the deep crisis. It was the ending of Italian humanism. The humanist`s dreams about fast beginning of the “Golden century” faced to the reality of constant wars, the absence of any reformations? The strengthening of centralized feudal power. The conditions for national unity have not been developed. There were no powers in separated Italy which could create national monarchy, as it happened in France and Britain.

If such a crisis existed in the country it could not appear a conflict. The study of Machiavelli was born just at that time and under those circumstances. The conflicts had existed before and would be accompany our life like deseases. Machiavelli analyzes the conception of human being in his writings “The Prince” and “Thoughts”. By this author, the main stimulus of people`s behaviour is interest, which is displayed in many spheres. This interest is concerned to the person`s desires to keep their property.

Let`s study his work “The Prince”. The book consists of 26 chapters, in which the author examines 4 main topics: the nature of state, the organized social groups and the function of militia, the features of the character: virtues, courage, vices of the head of the country and conditions in which the Italian statesman had to live and rule the country.

Machiavelli studies different types of states: hereditable, newly created and mixed. And it`s very important how the statesman gets the country: by means of his own or enemy`s arms, thanking happiness, fortune or courage. The lasting of the state depends upon these reasons: if the state is inheritance, it is usually stable. If it is reached recently (by means of war) it may be unsteady.

Let`s analyze a quotations about mixed states: “One should remember – people must be either caressed or wiped out, because they will revenge upon light offence. They can`t revenge upon strong offence, that`s why the insult which is made against a person must be in that way that nobody could fear any revenge”.

Machiavelli considers different forms of ruling, because any state may be managed by one person only. It is autocracy. (As imperia of Alexander the Great). The first monarchies are hard to seize, the others are hard to rule. People similar the mentioned above, become the counts by means of their own power and reach authority by labour and keep it easily. One should remember there is no more difficult by thought, more doubtful by success and more dangerous by fulfillment than create new institutions. The monarch can contradict the people who preferred the old order, but he can avoid the conflict relying upon the persons, who will feel more comfortably in a new order.

A chapter devoting to the getting of a new land by means of evil is very interesting. Any leader can have a conflict not only with himself but with all surroundings, with all people who depend upon him. By Machiavelli “having possessed the state the invader should think of all the cruelties and commit them immediately, in order not to take them every day and it would become possible to calm citizens and to attract them by virtues”.

Thus the object of writer`s thought is personality of a statesman. Machisvelli considers – the head of the country ought to be thrifty if he wants to be loved, or he may embezzle the values if he wants to be hated. He should count whether the conflict could be or could not be. It is very difficult to predict the danger, caused by the advices of ministers, who are at the office of the statesman. The main and very important issue is – how to prevent internal conflicts to become external ones.

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 976