At a time when social scientists are increasingly focusing on the reasons why nations fail and democracies die, Filippo Sabetti turns to the opposite issue, asking instead why institutions endure. To do so, he presents Gasparo Contarini’s sixteenth-century description of the Republic of Venice to help modern readers understand what made Venice the longest-lived self-constituted republic.

In its long history, Venice was the only city that succeeded in constructing a durable republicanism, and it was one of the earliest to depart from the hierarchical world of national monarchies and sovereignties. Sabetti suggests that students of politics will find Contarini’s The Republic of Venice just as instructive, if not more so, as Machiavelli’s The Prince. In his analysis of human nature, Contarini matches Machiavelli's secularism and realism, but goes much further; examining the case of Venice, he shows how it is possible for fallible human beings to construct a successful and stable government. This is the first modern English-language edition of Contarini’s classic work, based directly on the original Latin.

Gasparo Contarini (1483–1542) was a Venetian humanist scholar, theologian, diplomat, and Roman Catholic cardinal. He was an advocate of extensive reform within the church and a leader in the movement for reconciliation with the Lutheran Reformers.

Gasparo Contarini's profile page

Filippo Sabetti is professor emeritus of political science at McGill University and the author of several books, including The Search for Good Government: Understanding the Paradox of Italian Democracy.

Filippo Sabetti's profile page

Giuseppe Pezzini is a lecturer in Latin at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Giuseppe Pezzini's profile page

Amanda Murphy is a professor of English Language and Translation at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan.

Amanda Murphy's profile page

“The Republic of Venice gives the reader a good look at the institutions and ideas that fostered the city’s success and also how some of those came to influence to the institutions of the young United States.”

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