Who Is Franklin D Roosevelt Machiavellian?

In the 16th century, a manuscript was published that would change the face and understanding of politics forever. This literature was “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli; which described how he believed a person in a position of a higher power should function and rule in order to retain his position and be the most effective leader possible. It describes a prince, who while good to his people, is also capable of ruthless treachery when necessary. Many compare Machiavelli’s political theories to the actions of modern-day politicians. A good example of this is found in people’s musings of our Great Depression President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Definitely a powerful voice in politics; Roosevelt led us through both the Great Depression
I personally believe while his tactics were controversial and power-stretching, I don’t think they were necessarily Machiavellian; there is even evidence to support that he wasn’t Machiavellian. One of the core tenants of “The Prince” is the ability to provide for your subjects in their time of need, thus endearing yourself to them. In that respect, Roosevelt was definitely Machiavellian, because when The Great Depression was in its worse years he worked with Congress to provide Public Works projects and Welfare programs for the people. Many Republicans saw this as a foolish decision because it meant spending more money when they were already in a huge amount of debt. Therefore, the perspective at that time, (and even modern day), has changed to fit the views of each political party. The Democrats believed that given the current circumstances, Roosevelt made wise (albeit power expanding) choices to help get the country back on track. The Republicans believe (and still do) that Roosevelt seized the opportunity to expand federal power in the time of national crisis. In that respect, they do have a point as many programs from that time still exist today such as the FDIC and Social Security
Using his executive powers, Roosevelt packed the Supreme Court with judges who he knew would find his new deal legislation constitutional. Republicans, (and even more conservative Democrats), found his decision to secure the Judicial Branch as illegal by the stipulations of the Constitution. Roosevelt counter-argued that the Constitution did not specifically say how many judges were to be on the court and therefore it was within his power to add as many associate supreme judges as he wanted. FDR proposed a piece of legislation to Congress that would call for a change in the judicial appointment procedure. The Congress found this as a deliberate attempt to stack the Court and his bill was turned down. FDR would later get most of his legislation through but many historians label his effort as “hollow” victories where his gains were offset by members of Congress turning against him for his later efforts. However, as Machiavelli said “It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.” Machiavelli maintained that a leader who didn’t appear strong or capable would not