The paradox of the democratic Prince: Machiavelli and political leadership in contemporary democracies

Lecture in English by Richard Bellamy

The director of the Max Weber Programme at the European University Institute, Richard Bellamy, takes issue with modern neo-Machiavellians, arguing that Machiavelli was more of a true democrat than they suppose: he advocated that the Prince use the dark arts against those who would subvert democracy, rather than in subverting democracy.

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