Stalin and Machiavelli 4

Abstract

Having examined the use to which critics of the Stalinist regime put Machiavelli’s ideas, in this chapter we shall proceed to look at aspects of the regime itself and to Stalin’s own pronouncements. We shall begin with an exploration of the affinity between communism, fascism and national socialism. The great ideological battles of the twentieth century between liberalism, communism, fascism and national socialism had, as we have argued above, been played out in terms of a battle of ideas already between 1860 and 1900. This battle had revolved around the debate on Machiavellism in politics (see chapter 2). The rise of these new regimes in the inter-war period generated enormous reflection on their significance and character. Raymond Aron depicted them as a manifestation of Machiavellism in modern politics.¹ What the connections were between these regimes and a Machiavellian approach to politics and to Machiavelli’s actual writings, has, so far, remained largely unexplored. Here we shall attempt to open up this field of enquiry.