ABSTRACT
Here is a study, by a recognized master in the field of intellectual history, of the challenge put by Machiavelli to the idea that there is a universal moral law governing human behavior. Should the political leader act according to the maxim of "my country right or wrong," or should elites follow the principle of "let justice be done?" Friederich Meinecke, an acknowledged founder of cultural history as a field, follows the discussion of this theme from Machiavelli through such major figures as Richelieu, Frederick the Great, and Hegel, and presents conclusions of enduring significance.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part Book One|182 pages
The Age of Nascent Absolutism
part Book Two|135 pages
The Age of Mature Absolutism
part Book Three|93 pages
Machiavellism, Idealism and Historicism in Recent German History