In your opinion, what were the social, economic, and political changes that most contributed to the rise of Florence and the ideas of Machiavelli? Answer in a well-developed paragraph of at least 150 words, giving specific historic facts to support your ideas.
Answers
The question seems to assume that the rise of Florence and the ideas of Machiavelli are closely linked, whereas in my opinion are opposed.
Chronologically a first mismatch is to be noted, the rise of Florence long predates Machiavelli’s life. In fact Florence is an economically dominant city in Europe already in the 12th century, so much so that by the end of 13th century its coinage becomes the official mean of exchange in all Europe (Matteo Ferrara's answer to How were foreign exchange rates calculated in the 1600s and 1700s?).
Machiavelli’s work is a reaction to the constant conflicts between factions inside and states outside Florence, and to the consequent decadence of the city and of the states Italian peninsula. His most famous book “The Prince”, one of the 2 books every Italian should read (Matteo Ferrara's answer to Why did Mussolini rise to power?), centers on the hope to find the the man of destiny, able to unify and pacify not just Florence, but all Italy, to free it from foreign influence.
Two events are the most significant in this sense: the French army invasion of Italy under Charles the VIII, able to reach Naples with the help of the divided Italian states, sign of the powerlessness of a fragmented Italian nation, and the exploits of Cesare Borgia, the Valentino, son of the pope Alexander the VI, in Romagna
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