Classical republicanism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents 1 See also 2 Notes 3 References 4 External links

Classical republicanism is a form of republicanism originating from and inspired by the governmental forms and writings of classical antiquity. After a gaping centuries-long period of neglect, its main ideas were recovered and went on to flourish during the Renaissance. In the classical period itself the term republicanism did not exist, however the term res publica, which translates literally as "things public," was in usage. There were a number of theorists who wrote on political philosophy during this period such as Aristotle, Polybius, and Cicero,^[1] and their ideas became the essential core of classical republicanism. The ideology of republicanism blossomed during the Italian Renaissance, most notably in Florence, when a number of authors looked back to the classical period and used its examples to formulate ideas about ideal governance. Most prominent among these was Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527).^[2] It has also been said that Machiavelli is not a classical republican.^[3] That classical republicanism actually refers to a philosophy developed primarily in the early modern period is acknowledged by many scholars to be confusing; hence some now use the term early modern republicanism to cover this branch of political thought.

Classical republicanism is also known as civic humanism, a term first employed by the German scholar of late medieval and early modern Italian history, Hans Baron.^[4] And although in certain cases and with certain scholars there is a subtle distinction between the two, they are for all intents and purposes interchangeable. Civic humanism is a bit wider in scope and stresses the central role of civic virtue in the preservation of the classically Roman/Florentine ideal of political liberty. Leading exponents of this dual concept are Hannah Arendt, J. G. A. Pocock, Quentin Skinner, and Philip Pettit.^[5]

Early modern republicanism rejected monarchy (whether hereditary or otherwise autocratic) in favour of rule by the people. The notions of what constituted an ideal republic to classical republicans themselves is still debated. The ideal republic featured mixed government and was based on the pursuit of civic virtue. Most controversial is the classical republican view of liberty and how, or if, this view differed from that later developed by liberalism. Traditionally many scholars felt that republicanism was tilted more towards positive liberty rather than the negative liberty characterizing liberalism,^[6] but in recent years this thesis has been challenged. Philip Pettit argues that republican liberty is based upon "non-domination" while liberal freedom is based upon "non-interference." Another view is that liberalism views liberty as pre-social while classical republicans saw true liberty as a product of society.

According to Baron, for many years the foremost expert on the development of classical republicanism, the ideology was a product of the long conflict between Florence and Milan.^[7] Florence was ruled by its commercial elites while Milan was a monarchy controlled by its landed aristocracy. The Florentines asserted that their form of government was superior on the basis that it was more similar to that of the Greeks and the Roman Republic. Moreover, Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444) asserted, based on Tacitus's pronouncements in the introduction to the Histories, that republican government made better men, whereas monarchy was inimical to human virtue (see Tacitean studies). The Florentine ideal developed into the ideology of civic humanism, as per Baron.^[8]

Classical republicanism remained an important theory/ ideology in the Enlightenment playing a central role in the thought of Rousseau and Montesquieu. It was also popular among the Founding Fathers of the United States, and as such, was and remains the enduring basis of its national and state governments.

[edit] See also

• Florentine Republic

This entry is related to, but not included in the Political ideologies series or one of its sub-series. Other related articles can be found at the Politics Portal.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Civic Humanism entry at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Athanasios Moulakis
• Bill Brugger, Republican Theory in Political Thought: Virtuous or Virtual? (Basingstoke: St. Martin's Press, 1999).
• Zera Fink, The Classical Republicans: an Essay in the Recovery of a Pattern of Thought in Seventeenth-Century England. (Evanston: Northwestern Univ. Press, 1962).

[edit] External links

• Cicero's influence on Classical Republicanism