POG 235 Lecture 3: POG235 Machiavelli
14 Dec 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Dates between dante and shakespeare (1321 1616) New humanism: secular thought begins to oppose the church. New emphasis on sense perception and importance of craft and artistic production: painting, glassware, architecture, sculpture. Da vinci (d. 1519) preoccupation with hydraulics, mechanics and enginnering. Copernicus (d. 1543) posits heliocentric universe vs ancient ptolemaic system of planetary motion. Urban commercial and trading centers dominant in the mediterranean world. Commercial urban elites (populo grasso) ruling over craft guilds and propteryless laborers (populo minute) Renaissance humanism flourishes at moment of city-state decline. Absolutist states emerging in france, spain, hre national system of taxing, bureaucracy, standing army. Economic structure still precapitalist: wealth depends on domination of trade and control of state office not market competition, innovation and labor productivity. Extra economic" political power still key to wealth extraction. Powerful oligarchies like medici dominate banking, trade, political networks of patrons and clients. Politically constituted property based in urban civic corporation distinctive feature of city-states.
