Military Strategy and Adaptation in Machiavelli and Frederick the Great.
Parens, Raphael J.
2015
- This work strives to demonstrate and explain the difficult relationship between Machiavelli and Frederick the Great. The two authors were divided by centuries, socio-political position, language, and political landscapes. This difference is essential in understanding their works, as Frederick’s work serves as an adaptation of Machiavelli’s thoughts and ideas on military-political theory, developing ... read moreMachiavelli’s ideas for a later time and a different socio-political system in Europe. Frederick’s work is a masterful piece of deception, as he uses the title of his work and several introductory arguments to create the false idea that he disagrees with Machiavelli. Instead, Frederick actually agrees with Machiavelli’s ideas, assenting to these designs by converting Machiavellian ideas into ideas that make sense in modern times. Fredericks seems to write in such a deceptive way for a variety of reasons; perhaps he is attempting to deceive other monarchs, leaving them adrift amidst a sea of lies. At the same time, Frederick may also be attempting to lay out his true military and political intentions to future generations or potential allies. This work has analyzed the developments of these authors in three key areas: fortune and deception, the makeup of military forces, and just warfare and the general benefit of warfare.read less
- ID:
- 2801pt048
- Component ID:
- tufts:sd.0000238
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