PSC 341 Machiavelli's Gentlemen

Machiavelli writes that gentlemen are germs of corruption, and the causes of every possible immorality. Gentlemen in Machiavelli's words "live in luxury with out working...have a castle with subjects". I wouldn't say that gentlemen in Machiavelli's sense are dangerous to society in a ambiguous sense, but a republic based society. He states that since the "gentlemen are so corrupt that laws will not restrain them", the only political system sufficient enough to control them would be a monarchy, so that it would be swift, and decisive with absolute power. Because gentlemen are above the laws, a republic, where the aristocracy, monarchs, and the people all have a voice, that political system would not work, as the gentlemen have much wealth. The only way to have a republic is by not having that social caste of individual inside of its limits, so effectively one would have to eradicate that threat from the influence area of the republic.

PSC 341 Machiavelli's cycles of Governments

According to Machiavelli's writings in Discourses, governments instituted amongst men go through a predictable cycle, that if not countered with a series of checks and balances, will continusly evolve and devolve, however staying within the confines of the cycle. These forms of governing are monarchies, arostocracies, and democracies- which are considered the good form of government. These good forms of government have opposing forms, tyranny, oligarchy and anarchy, repectively. If men do not create a hybrid form, as Machiavelli refrences Romes government, they will surely fail and will follow the cycle. "Those who know how to construct a constitution wisley...creating a constitution with elements of each...preserved by checks and balances...present in the one city, a monarch, an aristocracy and a democracy". Based off of this ideology, one can see commonalities of the US Constitution and Machiavelli's beliefs on gonvernment, and can draw why the US Constitution has survived for over 200 years.