The Renaissance...from Machiavelli to Hitler..... Yes a Strange combination

The second lecture has passed and I have finally grasped the concept of how important philosophy is to the history of journalism. To say that I found it hard to grasp the concept and understanding of some of the ideas and issues raised would be an understatement. However I enjoy a challenge and I am starting to open up and understand the key concepts that have arisen from the reading.

I will be splitting the reading into two blogs, as there was so much to cover. The first blog will cover possible the most significant historical period: The Renaissance. The Renaissance is described as the "celebration of the human" as it was defined as the rebirth of culture in western society. The political background at the time is significant as Italy was at the time free from foreign interference. This is important, as one of the main political aspects of The Renaissance was the interference from foreign combatants, most notably the Spanish and The French.

There were five important states in Italy at the time of The Renaissance: Milan, Florence, Venice, The Papal Domain and Naples. What was clear was the divide between the northern and southern states. Milan in the north between 1495 and 1535 was the primary battleground between the French and The Spanish. The Sforza (the ruling family in Milan) could not choose one side to align with. However this indecisiveness was punished as in 1535 The Spanish monarch Charles V gained complete control of the state. 

The same could not be said for the southern state of Florence. Florence at the time of The Renaissance was the most civilized city in the world. This was mainly due to funding of The Medici family, the most prominent family in Florence. The ways of which The Medici's funded their empire was by a very modern concept, not ever heard of at the of The Renaissance. Through their banking corporation they were able to charge interest (this was illegal at the time) within the currency in payments made by their customers.  This was an extremely modern concept and cemented the ideas of which nation states formed from small colonies. Also I feel this was a revolutionary concept as it laid the foundations for the banking system that we have today. 

One Florentine whose ideas based the core foundations of The Renaissance was Machiavelli. Machiavelli was a key of The Medici Empire, employed as a diplomat and his ideas were associated with the creation of political science. Even though he works for The Medici he always opposed them and in 1512 he was arrested accused of corruption, but he was acquitted in 1513. He was sentenced to exile. However I feel this possible was the best type of punishment as it allowed Machiavelli to write some of his greatest work, most notably The Prince. 

The book act as guide oh how to obtain power and how to keep it. It describes the best way to acquire, obtain and sustain a state by any means necessary. What it does not tell you thought is if it is the right or wrong to gain power by any means. It was initially written to show how a Prince how they can obtain and keep power by advising them on how to do it. 

Machiavelli also in The Prince defined the unifying theme. He stated "All cities that ever, at any time, have been ruled by an absolute prince, by aristocrats, or by the people, have had for their protection force combined with prudence, because the latter is not enough alone, and the first either does not produce things, or when they are produced, does not maintain them. Force and prudence, then, are the might of all the governments that ever have been or will be in the world". 

What I think Machiavelli is trying to explain in defining the unifying theme is that at any one time in history a state has been controller by many different people. All with the same common goal, securing the protection of the state and of its people. I feel that even if you do not have initial control within monarchy, society's perception and support can show and express who clearly has the control and respect of a nation. 

Machiavelli also stated the infamous quote "It is better to be feared than loved". He expressed that Princes will have desires to have both, but it is difficult to combine them and. A ruler's rules should come from his own evidence, his own reality. One prominent dictator whose reign of terror, which is, expressed more than any that have proceeded him from that quote is German Dictator Adolf Hitler.

Bertrand Russell was quite the admirer of Hitler and believed that mass-psychology is vital in order for a government to control its people. Hitler's first attempt at gaining control of Germany saw him imprisoned for high treason, but after his release in 1924 he used widespread propaganda to gain the trust and the respect of the German people. Countless rallies notably The Nuremberg rally in 1928 showed the mass support that Hitler had gained. However I feel that the German people were not supporting Hitler out of respect but out of fear from what could of happened to them if they opposed the Nazi Party. 

One of the most loyal servants, Hermann Goring was Hitler's deputy and was the commanding office of The German Army (below Hitler) until 1942. Once his services were no longer required Goring went into exile. However after the war Goring as well as many other German officers was convicted of war crimes in The Nuremberg Trials. Goring was sentenced to death, but committed suicide before the act could take place. 

This expresses Machiavelli example of Borga except that Hitler would ultimately fall in his quest to become supreme ruler of the world. He did install fear throughout the Western world but that fear turned to hate, which lead to his eventual downfall. This downfall expressed Machiavelli's advise that in any form of dispute or conflict that you should always support the weaker side. During World War 2, The Germans had almost complete control over The Allied Forces and victory was close. However after The United States joined the war, The Allied Forces were able to gain control and achieve victory when in the 4 years of fighting before looked almost impossible.




 Machiavelli strategy over history has proven that in most conflicts this strategy has almost always worked (well apart from Vietnam). So whenever you are looking to back someone, back the underdog. So I would tip Southampton Football Club are still favourites to win NPower League One this season.

Back to the subject in 1527 this year brought upon the end of many important aspects in Italian history. It was the fall of Rome and the death of Machiavelli. This brought the end of The Renaissance, but from learning more into the history of the period and of Machiavelli I feel his ideas and concepts could make him the most significant figure not just in the early periods of philosophy, but also in the history of all Italian people.