Richard M. Nixon has been the only president to settle the position. His controversial mandate was marked by his anti-communist stance and the oil crisis of 1973 followed by the Watergate scandal.
Notoriously, during his tenure as vice president with Dwight D. Eisenhower, granted unusual powers for a vice president, opportunities that he used as advantages for exercise the control from the second place.
In 1968 he won the presidency with 43.42% playing a war of strategies against his competitors, using arguments that may well be considered "Machiavellian" ("the goal justifies the means") even though he did not fully share the positions of the liberal or conservative wings of the Republicans, being somewhat centrist. His extreme policies of control of the dollar, oil, and the impact on inflation and unemployment were unpopular, though, in 1972 he was re-elected, thanks to his ability to "Manipulate" adverse crisis situations in the economic field manage to make up at his convenience at a critical moment.
The symmetries with the Machiavellian philosophy of "The Prince," can be interpreted in the behavior and management of Nixon in many ways. Must be understood though that, in medieval culture, where Machiavellian philosophy was born, and his work wrote, Machiavelli was considered an "adviser" to the monarchs, whom he instructed to "make the best decisions for the benefit of his monarchy," not in favor of the people governed, hence his great unpopularity. When Nixon resigned, after refusing and obstructing the operation of justice, got finally corned; he argued that "circumstances have decided so." Nixon was undoubtedly daring, a quality that Machiavelli emphasizes by saying that "the daring and not the cautious, is who conquers the fortunate" At the end of his days, Machiavelli concludes contrarily that the best form of government is a republic and not an absolute monarchy.
Machiavelli's work, which is considered a treatise on political doctrine was published in 1531. From his book, the phrase “it is better to gain the trust of the people than to rely on force” can be applied to Nixon’s Government.
references
Maquiavelo, Nicholas (1513) El príncipe.
Aitken, Jonathan (1996). Nixon: A Life. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89526-720-7.
