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.

chapter |22 pages

Introduction

The Nature of Raison D’Êtat

part Book One|182 pages

The Age of Nascent Absolutism

chapter One|24 pages

Machiavelli

chapter Three|25 pages

Botero and Boccalini

chapter Four|27 pages

Campanella

chapter Seven|9 pages

Gabriel Naudé

part Book Two|135 pages

The Age of Mature Absolutism

chapter Eight|17 pages

A Glance at Grotius, Hobbes and Spinoza

chapter Nine|20 pages

Pufendorf

chapter Ten|13 pages

Courtilz de Sandras

chapter Eleven|15 pages

Rousset

chapter Twelve|68 pages

Frederick the Great

part Book Three|93 pages

Machiavellism, Idealism and Historicism in Recent German History

chapter Thirteen|27 pages

Hegel

chapter Fourteen|7 pages

Fichte

chapter Fifteen|15 pages

Ranke

chapter Sixteen|17 pages

Treitschke

chapter Seventeen|25 pages

Past and Present