Abstract

Published between 2009 and 2013, some among the most recent readings of Machiavelli's work point out the conflicting side of Machiavellian political thought as the only possible condition to build the "civil and free way of living" that characterises the Florentine republic of his time. This review explains some of the most original and interesting books about this topic and shows different and possible interpretations of Machiavellian political thought. At the same time it draws attention to some of the most important solutions proposed by Machiavelli in order to solve the problems of the Florentine republic and its institutions, including the project of a popular militia ("Ordinanza") which has a particular consequence especially for its implied critique of Florence's financial institutions.