Is Palpatine an apprentice of Machiavelli? : political thought of the Florentine philosopher in the "Star Wars" saga

Abstract

The Star Wars saga is not merely a movie series but a genuine phenomenon. Due to its complexity it is a worthy subject of studying for a broad spectrum of researchers of a wide variety of disciplines: philologists, philosophers, historians and even physicians. Even though Star Wars is first and foremost a story about fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, another significant theme that it embraces is politics. George Lucas tries to show with his movies how does a democratic government fall and an autocratic empire rises from its ashes. The driving force behind such scenario in the Star Wars saga is Palpatine, whose rise to power, from a senator to an emperor, is one of the most important elements of the story. Even though Palpatine is an embodiment of evil, cunning and cynicism – the traits often associated with Machiavellianism – he ought not to be called an apprentice of Niccolò Machiavelli. It is a common misconception, that the Florentine permitted and even recommended in his works the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct. On the one hand, the paper analyses the fall of the Galactic Republic, using the tools given by Machiavelli. It shows that Palpatine’s rise to power was possible due to corruption and orchestration of the outbreak of the devastating Clone Wars. On the other, it explains why Palpatine, being cunning and cynical, is a ruler far from an ideal presented by Machiavelli. It is due to the fact, that Palpatine’s actions were not driven by his interest in the common good but his thirst for power