Machiavelli, the New Deal, and the Future of American Democracy.

The theoretical legacy of the New Deal is its redefinition of liberalism. What makes that legacy remarkable is that Roosevelt and his allies managed to reinvent the term, and with it the role of government in everyday life, while working within a system famous for its inertia, and dealing with an electorate still attracted to ideas of rugged individualism and suspicious of dramatic change. This paper argues that what made the New Deal successful was its ability to update Machiavelli's tactical understanding of the connection between ideology and power to a modern democratic state. The paper will focus in particular on the work of New Dealer Thurman Arnold, who provides the most articulate and nuanced explanation of the New Deal's Machiavellian approach to political theory and political practice.Briefly, Arnold argues that while ideals ultimately inform our political goals, once we agree to enter the political realm it is essential that we make sure ideology does not limit our political possibilities. Effective leadership understands that necessity and the day-to-day reality of political life has to trump our theoretical commitments. The right actions are the ones that secure the power necessary to achieve our desired goals, rather than the ones that maintain ideological purity. Likewise, Arnold argues that power can only be secured with a deep understanding and exploitation of the central myths and symbols of the electorate. This paper will explore the connection between Machiavelli and the New Deal in more detail, and examine its consequences. If Machiavelli provides the theoretical model for practical political change in the United States, what does this say about our understanding of democracy, and its future? ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]