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A republic that forgets its history has no future

Published: 07 Jan. 2025, 20:00

Roh Jung-tae
The author is a writer and a senior fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.

The republic was in crisis. The golden age of the free city of Florence ended as the balance among its merchant families collapsed. The Medici family, once dominant through banking and trade across Europe, leveraged its immense wealth and cunning to seize power, effectively becoming Florence’s rulers. Rival families, unable to counter them alone, sought support from neighboring powers. This set off a vicious cycle where civil strife invited foreign intervention, and foreign intervention exacerbated internal conflicts.

Niccolò Machiavelli lived through these turbulent times. In his youth, he held significant positions in the Florentine Republic, which had been restored under the leadership of Piero Soderini after the Medici family’s tyranny and Girolamo Savonarola’s fanatical democracy. However, in 1512, the Medici regained control, rendering the republic defunct. Machiavelli was ousted from office and turned to writing.

It is against this backdrop that the enduring debate over “The Prince” arises. How could a republican like Machiavelli extol the virtues of monarchy, arguing that an extraordinary ruler must transcend morality and wield “virtù” (excellence)? Many interpret the book as a sycophantic attempt to win favor with the Medici family to regain his position. Yet, this interpretation might not capture the whole story. After all, we too are witnessing firsthand the chaos that incompetent leadership and misguided decisions can inflict on a nation.

Machiavelli’s republican ideals shine most brightly in “Discourses on Livy.” There, he critiques monarchs, stating, “A prince freed from the constraints of laws is more ungrateful, more unstable, and more imprudent than the people.” He champions the virtues of a republic grounded in the collective virtù of its citizens. Just as one learns art by studying Greek and Roman sculptures, one can learn excellence by studying history. While times and circumstances may change, human nature remains constant. This is why revisiting history, like a traveler in a time machine, is essential. A republic that forgets its history has no future.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.