The DOI matches its Crossref record; 20 of the 21 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Addressing the Political Exception: Machiavelli's “Accidents” and the Mixed Regime
Abstract
First, I will demonstrate that Machiavelli's conception of political phenomena is richer and more varied and conforms to an adequate understanding of political reality more closely than later, more “systematic,” or “regular,” conceptions often associated with the Enlightenment. Second, I find in Machiavelli strong grounds for resisting authoritarian claims that the variegated and unpredictable nature of political phenomena must be managed with unipartite and, especially, centralized practical political alternatives. I focus upon Machiavelli's frequent use of a particular word by which he refers to politically significant occurrences,accidente. I argue that his employment of this word, especially in theDiscourses, serves to accentuate his sensitivity to the irregular, nonsystematic nature of political reality—to the possibility of “exceptions.” But I demonstrate that his practical response to this reality, is not a perpetually vigilant, all-powerful sovereign but is, rather, a far more moderate answer, the mixed regime.
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“This gives a more precise form to Machiavelli's insight that it is 'energy and movement, rather than harmony' that delivers political survival (McCormick, 1993: 895).”
From No Virtue Like Resilience: Machiavelli’s Realistic Justification of Democracy (2024) · cites this paper as McCormick, 1993
Citations
Cites
Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty
Schmitt, C. (1988) · Cited by 3,615
The Foundations of Modern Political Thought
Skinner, Q. (1978) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511817878 · Cited by 2,196
The Machiavellian Moment: Florentine Political Thought and the Atlantic Republican Tradition
Robbins, C., & Pocock, J. G. A. (1976) · The William and Mary Quarterly · doi:10.2307/1922171 · Cited by 2,139
Mansfield, H. C. (1977) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.2307/1960138 · Cited by 1,620
Strauss, L. (1965) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226226453.001.0001 · Cited by 1,208
(1991) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511598463 · Cited by 827
Gershoy, L., & Strauss, L. (1954) · The American Historical Review · doi:10.2307/1844719 · Cited by 717
Aristotle, W. L., & Newman (1887) · Cited by 438
Walbank, F. W. (1972) · University of California Press eBooks · doi:10.1525/9780520342637 · Cited by 436
Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio
Machiavelli, N., Sasso, G., & Inglese, G. (1983) · Cited by 370
Research works printed but not linked: 6
- Machiavelli, 1950, Il Principe
- Polybius, 1979, The Rise of the Roman Empire
- Guicciardini, 1965, Maxims and Reflections of a Renaissance Statesman
- Schmitt, 1921, Die Diktatur
- Machiavelli, 1985, The Prince
- Guicciardini, 1975, Ricordi
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Machiavellian Democracy: Controlling Elites with Ferocious Populism
McCormick, J. P. (2001) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s0003055401002027 · Cited by 185
Self-citationMachiavelli Against Republicanism
McCormick, J. P. (2003) · Political Theory · doi:10.1177/0090591703252159 · Cited by 164
Self-citationThe Dilemmas of Dictatorship: Carl Schmitt and Constitutional Emergency Powers
McCormick, J. P. (1997) · Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence · doi:10.1017/s0841820900000291 · Cited by 73
Self-citationFerejohn, J., & Rosenbluth, F. M. (2008) · Journal of Conflict Resolution · doi:10.1177/0022002707308596 · Cited by 44
Uncertainty in Mexico's protracted transition: The national action party and its aversion to risk
Loaeza, S. (2000) · Democratization · doi:10.1080/13510340008403673 · Cited by 20
Metadata
- Authors
- McCormick, J. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- McCormick, John P.
- Venue
- American Political Science Review
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1993-12
- Volume
- 87
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 888-900
- ISSN
- 0003-0554 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5943
- OpenAlex
- W2320467963
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Political Science Review (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Theory and Democracy
- Keywords
- Niccolò Machiavelli, accidents, mixed regime, political exception, Discourses on Livy, political reality, authoritarianism, Enlightenment political thought
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