Su alcuni usi politici della memoria e dell’«oblivione delle cose»

This article reconstructs some of the main political uses of memory and the ‘oblivion of things’ in Machiavelli’s work, beginning with the brief observation on the necessity of memory in the government of a state, in De natura Gallorum, the Discourses, and the Prince. The article analyzes Machiavellian references to the political function of memory, noting how the ability to renew it, to modify and manipulate it, or to extinguish it, constitutes a necessary political tool for introducing radical changes in the life of a community, and in the administration and government of a state. The capacity to possess and to know how manipulate collective memory appears necessary for those who want to renew the state, bringing it back to its origin; for those who want to reform it, maintaining the shadow of ancient customs; and finally, for those who want to transform it into a form of tyranny with no more memory and history.