A liberdade política em Maquiavel: momentos de República

Abstract

This academic work aims to discuss the concept of political liberty in Niccolò Machiavelli's thought. Based on the thesis that Machiavelli is a republican thinker, we identify liberty as the government of laws (Ordini). Then the core of the proposed reflections will revolve around the Discourses on the first decade of Titus Livius, because it is the work in which Machiavelli reflects on the republic, which is the government of laws. To achieve the proposed objective, first we will reflect on liberty in three essential moments in a republic: its birth, its expansion and its corruption. At first, the mixed constitution is defended as being the best organization for a city, whether instituted at once or gradually over time, considering the events within the city. In the second moment, the participation of the people stands out, as this allows the city to conquer new territories, expanding its domain over neighboring cities. In the third moment, we reflect on the corruption of the political body, pointing out its causes and concluding that liberty will hardly resist when its corruption becomes generalized.