In a letter to Engels of 1857, Marx calls Machiavelli’s Florentine Histories a “masterpiece.” Praising his powerful historical sensibility, Marx explicitly recognises the importance of Machiavelli’s theories on social conflict, the political meaning of a citizen’s army, and the connection between the productive forces and social relations. Machiavelli has never ceased to be a reference for the Marxist and revolutionary tradition. Explicitly, as a grounding stone ...