Theoretical politic: Guicciardini

This essay is about a figure a theoretical politic as Francesco Guicciardini(1483-1540), that was contemporary of Niccolò Machiavelli(1469-1527), the last was directly busied during the republican Florence; then was costume a show the political think although it was impossible; Guicciardini followed the mode, in fact in his book The govern of Florence, datable among 1521 and 1526, he through an ideal dialogue explained what is the better govern to Florence, and he takes the human truth and has took also from a specific book of Plato, the Republic. The human nature, during the first page, he describes an human date of men, he said: “…knowing that they need of your prudence and thrown the passion and vain suspects, recall you and they are going to will that the city is advised from you” Bernardo del Nero(1422-1497), influent politic man of Florence is co-star in this dialogue, and he said a truth that Guicciardini has certainly took from Machiavelli, from the book The prince, because the Prince was written between July and December 1513, anyway Bernard says: “…the send away of Pieter de Medici, for this I am grief to very affection that I have always had to de Medici family, and more because during much time that I have seen for experience that the mutations bring more damn to city than utile”. It seems a conservator concept and also immobility, but it isn’t because the historical reality attests this truth; after the French revolution and the radical changes, then considered so, to reissue the order, after the terror period and other questions, emerged the figure of Napoleon, that used the monarchical power, almost autocratic, to growth the French territory, but above all to impose the order with new arguments, that were not politic but alone nationalist, the French can becomes great also in the territory; but the change that the revolution brought was certainly radical, but the revolution destroyed that was very short and scant, why? Simple because the aristocratic class was died from at last a century, during the reign of king Louis 14^th, and the their power was died with them, an episode very meaningful of revolution, that is the principal episode of revolution because begun it, this is the attack to Bastille the revolutionaries, respecting the true revolutionaries, were 14, three French, three Holland, four German and four Belgian, they were alone tilers that wanted rob armies and after sale it to eat; when la Fayette, on of chief revolutionary, that was a doctor, was interviewed in a tribunal by the way this episode, he said that he doesn’t nothing, and about of this attack he known alone two years after, because he was in Marseille; if we follow the politic propaganda of Revolution the people of Paris attacked the Bastille, or the in Paris lived alone 14 persons or it is a lie that has had the propagandistic sake, because this is was and stop; and the truth of this judge is in the historical reality, because if are sufficient fourteen to undo a monarchy, or the monarchy state is failure always, but why in British, from more than a thousand years is present? Or the French monarchy was going to failure, whereby also 14 tilers were sufficient. To turn of Florentine state, the dialogue continues, hence Niccolò Capponi(1472-1529), politic man of Florence asked to Bernardo del Nero: “Do you think that every change is wreck to the city?” and Bernardo answers,: “I say that I have known for experience that the alterations give the grief to the city and give the wreck effects”, Paul Anthony Soderini(1448-1500), is one of protagonist of this dialogue, and he expresses the opinion that Guicciardini has took from Plato(428 b.Ch-348b.Ch), in the Republic, translated from Marsilio Ficino(1433-1499) during the 15^th century, in Florence, therefore Guicciardini could read this version, since the he didn’t knows the ancient Greek; anyway Soderini said: “Those brains more high, that feel more than other the pleasure of glory and honor, have occasion and freedom to show and to exercise their virtues. It is not certainly to increase their ambition, but alone to benefit of city, that if we tell about the benefits of every century both ancient and modern it attests that the benefit is in virtues of low, because short are capable of these duty so high, because the nature has given to them more intelligence and judge than other…”; this think is Platonic absolutely, and Guicciardini in this book is more philosophic than politic, because this position is absolutely theoretical and it leaves the politic contest, fundamental for a politic, thence this position has same nature of Plato’s Republic, theoretical, although Guicciardini has took the history of Florence too, because in a step he tells that Lorenzo de Medici(1449-1492), has privileged an part of Florentine people in spite other, and it has determined the hate and much enemies, thereupon govern of better is the best. We can add that the problem is again selection of these better, that Guicciardini didn’t advise; hence this position works perfectly on theory, but to practical selection is very impossible.

Alessandro Lusana