Hobbes and MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes were both great political philosophers of their time. Although they lived in different eras, these men both produced works that would be considered highly influential on the formation of political theory and philosophy. The Prince and Leviathan can each be seen as representing the political views of their respective eras. These influential men laid the foundations of modern political thought. In order to pave the way for future political theorists like Rousseau and Marx, these men had to break with classical philosophy, if not partially, at least completely. Nicholas Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469, just over a century before Hobbes. Although these men were born relatively close in time, the general view of the world had changed enormously. Machiavelli focused on how to maintain the absolute power of the monarch and how manipulating the public could help the monarch maintain political power. Hobbes, however, had a different conception of what constituted the basis of sovereignty. In Hobbes's version, the absolute monarch was a representative of the people. He had to make decisions that would protect their existence as if it were his own. The monarch was responsible for ensuring that all citizens had food, water and shelter. Machiavelli believed that citizens should only be treated well to the extent that it benefits the sovereign ruler. He really didn't see people as having rights. A look at both works reveals a lot about the political structure of that particular era and era. It also showed that as Hobbes began to write, the way monarchies were viewed began to...... middle of paper ...... we must act ourselves, what modern thought exactly? "Modernity is not only something new, but also a new idea that in principle favors innovation and constantly promotes new ideas and institutions, a change that is intended to be receptive to other changes. All that is modern does not remain the same but continues to become more modern (Parel). Such as Machiavelli's new modes and orders in The Prince and in the Discourses. Applied to politics, modernity means the pursuit of power motivated by the natural desire to acquire and develop, and this must be achieved by whatever means possible. The new politics that Machiavelli would introduce required Western civilization to accept the idea that politics, at its best, should be both tyrannical and republican (Parel). There can be no political freedom without the active action of force and fear, which we also find in Hobbes..