Tamed Monarch

Author: (USA) Mansfield (Mansfield/H.C.) / Feng Keli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: A remarkable and important work. When studying the concept of executive power, a modern political science topic that is both crucial and tired, Mansfield brings you the excitement and tension of a mysterious story. — Alan Bloom
Perhaps the most profound study of executive power to date. Mansfield's claims not only lead to a reassessment of general executive power but also to a reassessment of the nature of modern republicanism—and in fact, a reassessment of modern political science. — Glen E. Sirocco
In this book, Mansfield systematicallys Western political thought from Aristotle's Politics to the Federalist Papers, examining the rise and evolution of the theory of executive power. He argues that although there were various "primitive executives," the modern concept of the executive first appeared in Machiavelli's The Prince. However, Machiavelli's overly powerful and ruthless executive weakened republican theory. As a result, later political philosophers such as Locke and Montesquieu dedicated themselves to "taming" the bloodthirsty "monarch," integrating it into the framework of constitutionalism, and ultimately gave rise to the modern U.S. presidency.