Macht + [und] Recht, Machiavelli contra Montesquieu

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In 25 fictional conversations from his anonymously published work in 1864, Maurice Joly (1829–1878) contrasts the faith in democratic institutions with the persistent threat of a return to a dictatorial state. This timeless philosophical text addresses the erosion of democracy through the unscrupulous misuse of legality and manipulation of public opinion. In Joly's dialogues, Machiavelli, the advocate of power through violence, triumphs over Montesquieu, who champions a politics grounded in moral and legal principles. However, Joly counters this grim outcome with a statement revealing his true intent: "But public conscience still lives, and heaven will one day intervene in the game played against it." The backdrop for these conversations was the authoritarian regime of Napoleon III (1852–1870), prompting Joly to expose the "gaps and abysses" that devastate civil and human freedoms in modern society; the work was first confiscated in 1864. More infamous than the long-lost original, the notorious "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" plagiarized significant portions of Joly's text, becoming one of the most consequential forgeries of modern times. Translated into many languages, the "Protocols" fueled the myth of a Jewish conspiracy, supporting the absurd anti-Semitic notion of a Jewish plan for world domination, thus completely distorting Joly's original intent.