Abstract

JAEF, Jorge Federico. Violence as a decisive factor of politics: reflections from Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince. Temas debates (En línea) [online]. 2014, n.27, pp.125-135. ISSN 1853-984X.

This communication attempts to analyse the implications of Niccoló Machiavelli's thoughts as pictured in The Prince and how these remain valid nowadays. The author's starting point is the question about why violence is necessary for the survival of a political regime. The article also analyses the importance that violence has as States' specific means. Special attention is paid to the attributes of the sovereign-subject relation and therefore, the importance of the monopoly of violence by the ruler is explained. The author attempts to expose the persistence of repression as politics' decisive element. Also, special attention is paid to the conditions that should regulate violence usage by States for it to serve governments' purposes. Finally, the tension between States and democratization is explored.

Keywords : Machiavelli; Violence; State; Democracy; The Prince.

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