A concepção de história nos Discursos de Maquiavel: uma análise sobre o tempo histórico no pequeno tratado sobre as repúblicas

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the concept of history in Machiavellian`s thought. It is, specifically, an analysis of the eighteen first chapters of his book Discorsi on the First Decade of Livy, which we believe to emerge a solution to the original problem of the constitution of forms of govern in the time. For this, we start with an examination of the historical and intellectual Quattrocento Italian. The intention is to demonstrate the conceptual framework that has influenced and Machiavellian political theory with which the thinker dialogues in his writings. Moreover, we highlight the return that the author makes the theory of circularity presented by the Greek historian Polybius. From Polybius, we expose his conception of historical temporality marked by circular movement of the forms of government, as well as the paradoxical problem that involves the formulation of mixed government. In this regard, we noted how Machiavelli takes this theory with the intention of recovering the discussion on the establishment of political regimes. Regarding the resumption seek to affirm that overcoming the Machiavellian thought to not accept the circularity as a determining factor of historical time. From this analysis comes the hypothesis that the temporal history as an expression of the movement of forms of government cannot be understood by natural law or by any other determinant a priori. Following these assumptions, we find the theory of conflict a vital component to understanding the dynamics involving both the political organization of state such as the movement elaborated by history. So, being the political element essential for the promotion of political organization, as well as for the realization of liberty in republics, also conclude that it is their responsibility to the mobilization of historical processes. The conflict in synthesis can be understood as the space of political action performed within the company, as this space has the constant possibility predominant trait of "creation." This sphere of action not only mobilizes the story (in order to raise their movement), but acts as a characteristic of "doing" history. In other words, the story has as one of its core components forming the field of human creation. Added to this the issue of corruption that marks the limits of human action in time. Machiavelli sees the degeneration process of the political as a condition of nature in all political body thus historical process is limited by that element which marks again, the field of contingency that the universe is subjected political. Finally, a search for the conception of history in Machiavelli reveals, in our view, the secularization of its elements, the identification of political conflicts as its mobilizer and the possibility of coming-into-being as a dimension of their process.