Political opportunism Political opportunism Political opportunism refers to the attempt to maintain political support, or increase political influence, in a way which disregards relevant ethical or political principles. The political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli as described in "The Prince" is often regarded as a classic manual of opportunist scheming, and indeed a "Machiavellian" is nowadays defined as "a cunning, amoral, and opportunist person, especially a politician". Political opportunism is interpreted in different ways, but usually refers to one or more of the following: Typically, opportunist political behavior is criticized for being short-sighted or narrow-minded. That is, in the urge to make short-term
The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu Elders of Zion", an infamous Russian-made antisemitic literary forgery. There is an abundance of evidence that "The Protocols" were lavishly plagiarized from Joly's book. Italian writer Umberto Eco claims that in the "Dialogue" Joly plagiarized seven pages or more from a popular novel "Les Mystères du peuple" by Eugene Sue. The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu (in the original French "Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu ou la politique de Machiavel au XIXe siècle") is a political satire written by French attorney Maurice Joly in protest against the regime