Author: Gabriele Pedullà
File Type: pdf
Among the theses that for centuries have ensured Niccolo Machiavelli an ambiguous fame, a special place goes to his extremely positive opinion of social conflicts, and, more in particular, to the claim that in ancient Rome the disunion between the plebs and the Roman senate made that republic free and powerful (Discourses on Livy I.4). Contrary to a long tradition that had always highly valued civic concord, Machiavelli thought that - at least under certain conditions - internecine discord could be a source of strength and not of weakness, and built upon this daring proposition an original vision of political order. Machiavelli in Tumult (originally published in Italian in 2011) is the first book-length study entirely devoted to analyzing this idea, its ancient roots (never before identified), its enduring (but often invisible) influence up until the American and the French Revolution (and beyond), and its relevance for contemporary political theory. **Review Review of Italian edition Gabriele Pedull... has written a masterful book. ... A short review cannot begin to do justice to the authors astonishing command of two millennia of primary sources and a vast array of modern scholarship or to the new light these essays shed on both Machiavelli and the long history of the questions he addressed. In deepening the understanding of Machiavellis polemical engagement with assumptions inherited from antiquity and fifteenth-century humanists, this book merits comparison with the magisterial studies of Gennaro Sasso and in analyzing the complex responses, positive and negative, to Machiavellis ideas over the next several centuries, it similarly deserves comparison with the overarching narratives of the history of political thought of Quentin Skinner and JGA Pocock. ... Pedull...s stimulating book opens new vistas and enriches familiar questions. In a time of immense vitality in Machiavelli studies, it should top the reading lists of all scholars in the field. John M. Najemy, Renaissance Quarterly Advance praise A brilliant, original work by one of the most learned and creative scholars in the humanities today. Ronald G. Watt, Duke University, North Carolina Advance praise Gabriele Pedull...s Machiavelli in Tumult stands as a monumental contribution to both Machiavelli studies and the history of political thought. Through exhaustive historical research and with remarkable textual facility, Pedull... demonstrates just how radically Machiavellis Discourses repudiated two thousand years of Greek, Roman and humanistic reflections on the value of civic concord. Pedull... emphasizes Machiavellis resolute commitment to the political efficacy of social discord and class conflict, especially the salutary effects of tumults for civic liberty. A model of scholarly erudition and analytic perspicacity, Machiavelli in tumult is mandatory reading for anyone, within the academy or among the general public, interested in political theory or intellectual history. John P. McCormick, Chicago University Advance praise Pedull...s book shows that the theory of conflict not only lies at the very heart of Machiavellis work, but also marked the decisive turning point at which Western political thought changed its course by adopting a new conceptual language. The authors outstanding expertise in both early-modern and contemporary culture grants his interpretation the critical insight and analytic richness of a true classic. Roberto Exposito, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa Advance praise Deep, sharp and wide-ranging, Machiavelli in Tumult offers a rich and insightful exploration of Machiavellis treatment of the causes, dynamics, consequences, and uses of mass political conflict. A must-read for those interested in the intellectual history of conflict, as well as those trying to make sense of where conflict fits in contemporary society. Stathis N. Kalyvas, Yale University, Connecticut Book Description Machiavelli in Tumult is the first book-length study entirely devoted to reconstructing the Discourses idea that internal conflicts must be praised as a source of strength, its ancient roots, its influence up until and beyond the American and French Revolutions, and its relevance for contemporary political theory.