Machiavelli: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides) - Softcover

"A remarkable achievement. Fluent and accessible in its language and style, yet insightful in its analysis." --Benedetto Fontana, Professor of Political Science, Baruch College of the City University of New York

"A book of many merits. By the end of the book, we are convinced that Machiavelli's approach to politics is actually better than most of the available alternatives." --John Christian Laursen, Professor of Political Science, University of California at Riverside

Machiavelli has been among the most commented upon, criticized and feared thinkers of the modern world. Infamous for his support of brutality and repression as valid political instruments, he is often portrayed as the pantomime villain of political theorists. In this whirlwind tour of Machiavelli's writings and eventful life, Nederman highlights the complexities in his thought, showing that he actually advocated democracy as much as dictatorship, debate as much as violence, depending upon prevailing political conditions.