On the other hand

The author of Protocols does select a few passages or references from Dialogues that appear unaltered (see Graves) or in different form. For example, the Dialogues ' say: " Everywhere might precedes right. Political liberty is merely a relative idea. The need to live is what dominates states as it does individuals." In Protocols this becomes, "From the law of nature right lies in might. Political freedom is an idea but not a fact, and one must know how to use it [political freedom] as a bait whenever it appears necessary to attract the masses... to one's party for the purpose of crushing another who is in authority." (Protocols 1)

Graves leaves out the last part to make the resemblance seem greater than it is.Dialogues (7) say, "Revolutionary ferment which is suppressed in one's own country should be incited throughout Europe." InProtocols (7) "Throughout all Europe... we must create ferments, discords, hostilities." There is no reference to suppressing these in one's own country. The author ofProtocols is not a forger creating a hoax, but a conspirator forging an original work.

SAME GENRE, DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS

Both books belong to the "immoral school" of political theory. Machiavelli pays homage to a long list of rulers "who are progenitors of my doctrine." Both preach might makes right, "good" comes from evil, and the end justifies the means. But the similarity ends there. The tone of theDialoguesis dry and theoretical. It is a debate between fictional political theorists: Montesquieu a champion of democracy and Machiavelli, a champion of tyranny.Dialoguesis considered a critique of the reign of Napolean III.

Montesquieu asks how to quell the spirit of anarchy in society. Machiavelli prescribes a "monster called the state" which maintains a democratic artifice but is actually controlled by the "Prince." He talks about how to suppress secret societies. On the other hand, the tone of Protocols is frankly conspiratorial and subversive and pays homage to Lucifer. Protocols is a "strategic plan from which we cannot deviate without running the risk of seeing the labour of many centuries come to naught." (Protocol 1)

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