ALCIDES BORGES NETO

This dissertation aims to examine the elements that sustain a republic, according to Machiavelli's political theory. We propose an analysis based on the History of Florence, a work that addresses the fundamental aspects of political life, with particular emphasis on the developments arising from the interplay between social humors and the emergence of conflict. Compared to the author's other writings, this work has received limited scholarly attention. Our goal is to argue for its autonomy by demonstrating how the theme of conflict shapes the work as a whole and how its consequences contributed to the disintegration of Florentine institutions. We will identify both the originality and relevance of Machiavelli’s treatment of conflict, as well as the conditions under which such disturbances are, in fact, essential to the advancement of republican liberty. This study is divided into two parts. The first presents a systematic analysis of the text, examining how Florence failed to establish republican laws and ultimately became a republic in name only—unlike Rome, which, through conflict, succeeded in creating laws to manage the division between the popolo and the nobili. We argue that conflict can be beneficial when the law serves to neutralize the ambitions of the powerful, but becomes detrimental to the republic when it devolves into anarchy and is monopolized by factional groups. The second part explores Machiavelli’s republican perspective on some of the essential elements that sustain a republic. These are: first, the qualification of the ruler and the role of virtù in the management of public affairs; second, the function of humors as antagonistic forces; third, the possibility of neutralizing conflict; and fourth, the necessity of balancing powers. Each element is addressed in separate chapters. This dissertation holds that conflict is intrinsic to political life, and whether under a republican or mixed government model, every society must account for it institutionally, as it is both foreseeable and inevitable.