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The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom Kindle Edition

by James Burnham (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 686 ratings
THIRD FISHERMAN: Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea. FIRST FISHERMAN: Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the little ones. Pericles, Prince of Tyre

A classic work of political theory and practise, this book makes available an account of the modern Machiavellians, a remarkable group who have been influential in Europe and practically unknown in the United States: Gaetano Mosca, Georges Sorel, Robert Michels and Vilfredo Pareto. In addition, there is a long section on Machiavelli himself. James Burnham contends that the writings of these men hold the key both to the truth about politics and to the preservation of political liberty.

Praise for James Burnham:
'The stoic, detached, empirical, hard-boiled, penetrating, realist mind of James Burnham is something to behold, to admire, to emulate' - National Review
'James Burnham was an astonishing writer. Subtle, passionate, and irritatingly well-read' - New Criterion
'The immense significance of Burnham’s approach is potential. We can ignore it only at the risk of being disarmed by the future course of events' - Irving Kristol

James Burnham was an American popular political theorist. Burnham was a radical activist in the 1930s and an important factional leader of the American Trotskyist movement. In later years, as his thinking developed, he left Marxism and turned to conservatism, serving as a public intellectual of the conservative movement. He also wrote regularly for the conservative publication National Review on a variety of topics.
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  1. Print length
    293 pages
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    English
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  4. Publication date
    January 24, 2019
  5. File size
    4.6 MB
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  1. Machiavelli understood politics as primarily the study of the struggles for power among men.
    Highlighted by 833 Kindle readers
  2. The high-minded words of the formal meaning serve only to arouse passion and prejudice and sentimentality in favor of the disguised real aims.
    Highlighted by 698 Kindle readers
  3. We believe we are disputing the merits of a balanced budget and a sound currency when the real conflict is deciding what group shall regulate the distribution of the currency. We imagine we are arguing over the moral and legal status of the principle of the freedom of the seas when the real question is who is to control the seas.
    Highlighted by 657 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'The stoic, detached, empirical, hard-boiled, penetrating, realist mind of James Burnham is something to behold, to admire, to emulate' - National Review

'James Burnham was an astonishing writer. Subtle, passionate, and irritatingly well-read' - New Criterion

'The immense significance of Burnham's approach is potential. We can ignore it only at the risk of being disarmed by the future course of events' - Irving Kristol

About the Author

Jeff Riggenbach has narrated numerous titles for Blackstone Audio and won an AudioFile Earphones Award. An author, contributing editor, and producer, he has worked in radio in San Francisco for the last thirty years, earning a Golden Mike Award for journalistic excellence.



James Burnham (1905-1987) was an American popular political theorist and a noted author, lecturer, editor, and commentator. He was the founding editor of the National Review, founder of the Congress for Cultural Freedom, and director of the Free Europe University. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Ingersoll Foundation's award for his contributions to the conservative movement. His books include The Managerial Revolution, The Machiavellians, The Struggle for the World, and many others.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07N3Z5PC5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lume Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 24, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.6 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 293 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 686 ratings

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Customers find the book insightful, with one noting it provides a scientific method for analyzing geopolitical events. They appreciate its readability.

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14 customers mention "Insight"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one noting it provides a scientific method for analyzing geopolitical events, while another mentions it serves as a handbook of realpolitik.

"...through his analysis of some fine experts on the subject, how government really governs - why rule of the elites is not a flaw, but the normal way..." Read more

"Brilliant analysis extrapolating from a much maligned thinker to the days of its writing (1941-3) and is incredibly applicable to attempting to..." Read more

"...Very useful for sharpening analytic insight, via the cold eye of realism, stripping away rhetorical pretensions and revealing the inevitable will to..." Read more

"...It blows up the myth of 'democracy' so don't read it if you think 'democracy' is some sacred virtue...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read.

"...An excellent and compelling read." Read more

"Excellent product and delivery!" Read more

"Nice book if you want to get a zoomed out view about what politics is all about from a non-partisan POV...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Offshore Pirate
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2025
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    Awesome book and fascinating analysis from the Machiavillian perspective.
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  • Liberteredo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Only read if you want to understand how government really works. Are you sure that you want to know?
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    They say that making law is like making sausage - if you like sausage, you don't want to ever watch the process. Burnham explores, through his analysis of some fine experts on the subject, how government really governs - why rule of the elites is not a flaw, but the normal way that things work, and why that can be good or tragic. Once you gain the understanding of how things really work, and have always and will always work, in the halls of power, you will be either enlightened or terribly disillusioned, but your views of government and its functioning will never be the same. You have been warned - you will not see your sausage the same way ever again. An excellent and compelling read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • EK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2025
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    Brilliant analysis extrapolating from a much maligned thinker to the days of its writing (1941-3) and is incredibly applicable to attempting to understand 2025.
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  • J. Barger
    4.0 out of 5 stars a pretty good case for political myths
    Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2024
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    …and the separation of powers. The idea that the elites and masses must be protected from one another through checks and balances and mythological rhetoric is an apt description of modern power politics. Although it’s not 100% desirable, and many would prefer true democracy, it’s a good observation on why the elite do what they do, and why they must do it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Howard W. Cohen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2024
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    Excellent product and delivery!
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  • ikki
    5.0 out of 5 stars James Burnham's classic text
    Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2019
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    It is great to see this release ( in Kindle format ) of James Burnham's classic 1943 text on the small group of Italian political theorists ( Pareto, Mosca, Michels ) influenced by the infamous Florentine referred to in the title. Long out of print, "The Machiavellian's" is ridiculously expensive ( going for three or even four figures in the used market ), so this recently released ( Jan 2019 ) version lowers the financial 'barrier to entry' by quite a bit. Of course, the *intellectual* barrier to entry is a lot steeper ( necessitating the ability to both entertain and sustain a counter-narrative, especially to the all-pervasive myth of democracy ) but anyone even contemplating purchasing this book is likely to meet this criterion as well. Very useful for sharpening analytic insight, via the cold eye of realism, stripping away rhetorical pretensions and revealing the inevitable will to power of an entrenched elite who are the real rulers in the political realm.
    90 people found this helpful
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  • Sylvia J
    5.0 out of 5 stars Handbook of realpolitik
    Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021
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    Makes the case that the Machiavellians he talks about are actually realists about how politics works in the real world. Eye-opening. But the first section is on Dante, who he gives as an anti-Machiavellian example. It was odd to put it first and it doesn’t help his point - which hadn’t been made yet - nor does it act effectively as a a counter example. If you don’t like the beginning keep going. Lots of gems later on. When he talks about conditions that precipitate revolutions, ask yourself where we are now.
    45 people found this helpful
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  • M. Heisler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cool book, very readable and useful.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Nice book if you want to get a zoomed out view about what politics is all about from a non-partisan POV. It blows up the myth of 'democracy' so don't read it if you think 'democracy' is some sacred virtue. He presents the concept of 'Bonapartism' which basically explains how democratically elected officials use the concept of democracy to justify acting like dictators. Once you see it you won't be able to unsee it.
    47 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Nikhil Bagade
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great defence of freedom
    Reviewed in India on May 10, 2023
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    Freedom is basically the force that keeps democracy from decaying ... What an amazing book with beautiful observations and arguments! Loved it!
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  • Bruno Leite
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essencial
    Reviewed in Brazil on January 17, 2022
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    Um clássico pouco conhecido no Brasil. Essencial para quem quiser entender melhor o funcionamento da democracia liberal. Um porta de entrada para a escola Italiana da teoria das elites.
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  • elstevador
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for this day and age.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    You can disagree with Burnham’s thesis all you like, but to dismiss it would be to deny yourself the opportunity to evaluate counter arguments as to how we ended up where we are today. I happen to think he’s nailed it, to a large degree.
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  • Calvin S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Insightful
    Reviewed in Canada on November 24, 2024
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    Does an excellent job of illuminating the human inclination to romanticizing social systems rather than analyzing the actual way humans behave in reality. The ideal of leaderless societies has done an incredible amount of harm.
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  • Tomas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in Germany on January 3, 2022
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    Tomas
    5.0 out of 5 stars
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    Reviewed in Germany on January 3, 2022

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