The Machiavellians

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The Machiavellians
The Machiavellians (Book Cover).png
Title page for The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom (1943)
Author James Burnham
LanguageEnglish
Publisher John Day Company
Publication date
1943
Publication placeUnited States
Pages270

The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom is a 1943 book by the American writer James Burnham. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Summary

The book evokes theorists of elites and power structures, notably Dante Alighieri and Niccolò Machiavelli in the Renaissance period, and Gaetano Mosca, Robert Michels and Vilfredo Pareto in the 20th century. Using their theories, Burnham assesses the contemporary elites of the Unites States. He concludes that they have become weak, inflexible and bound to American liberalism in ways that erode liberty. [4]

Reception

Kirkus Reviews called the book stimulating and provocative, but wrote that "those who would profit most probably won't read it". [4]

References

  1. ↑ Hook, Sidney (1988). "On James Burnham' s The Machiavellians". Society . 25: 68–70. doi:10.1007/BF02695652.
  2. ↑ Huse, H. R. (1943). "Reviewed Work: The Machiavellians James Burnham". Southern Economic Journal . 10 (1): 74–76. doi:10.2307/1053407.
  3. ↑ "The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom" . The Atlantic . June 1943. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 "The Machiavellians". Kirkus Reviews . June 15, 1943. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
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