POLI 271 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Autocracy
Document Summary
Modern liberty: private independence primacy of private sphere, wealth and material comfort: commerce + trade, inclusive and burdensome citizenship, representation, but neglect of public duties. Ancient liberty: active participation primacy of public sphere, security and virtue: war + conquest, exclusive and rewarding citizenship, direct participation, but neglect of individual rights. Is morality corrupted or improved by conflict: ferguson: people are not solitary and self-centered by nature conflict is natural. 9/6: machiavelli"s preferred regime form is republic, citizens are most important. Florentine republic(1494-1512) machiavelli"s public service(1498-1512) medici principality(1512-1527) machiavelli tortured, exiled to medici(1513) commission from. Medici to write history of florence(1520) medici deposed; machiavelli dies(1527: modernity highlights , social changes: trade, political centralization, the relationship of character and circumstances, shaping circumstances to promote character, the limits of political architecture, the role of autocracy. 9/11: most dangerous people in a polity are those with frustrated ambitions, harness or channel ambition, outlet.
