# Greatest political strategist in 20th century? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 22, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562 "2004-09-22T21:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NewHeart\_Male](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@NewHeart\_Male](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NewHeart_Male)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/1 "2004-09-22T21:39:00Z")
This question only applies to individual strategists i.e. sole persons who co-ordinate a strategic plan. There is obviously a wide selection to choose from. This individual (let’s call he or she _X_) can be from any country, political party, organisation or institution. It does not matter. Now every political body has a set of aims they wish to accomplish (or, at least, they _should_ do). What is important for the purposes of this OP is how well they achieved their political goals, and how difficult it was for them to successfully do so. _X_ has to be central to the accomplishment. They had to **effect** the political agenda. This does not mean that they need have set it. All I’m asking for is how well _X_ planned (function-wise) and implemented the set political agenda. Consider this. Just as there can be obsticles in a strategist’s way, there can also be a great element of luck. Obviously, someone who achieved their political aims purely through coincidence does not really deserve the title of “greatest political strategist”. So, with this in mind, which candidate fits the bill? — And yes, candidates must be from the 20th or 21st century i.e. they had to be _living_ in either one of those centuries. (And don’t be a smartass and say, “but the 21st century isn’t over yet!!!” You know what I mean.) — ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/2 "2004-09-22T21:48:46Z")
Ghandi maybe (if the portrail in the David Lynch film is anything close to realistic) to have oppose dthe greatest power on earth at the time using a system based on passive resistance to help win back hisr own countries freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/3 "2004-09-22T21:53:20Z")
Stalin has got to be right up there. He engineered his succession, reformed the USSR, helped beat Hitler, and successfully stayed in power until he died. Or should dictators be exempt as their sole aim is to stay in power? ---
**Author:** ![NewHeart\_Male](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@NewHeart\_Male](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NewHeart_Male)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/4 "2004-09-22T21:59:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Or should dictators be exempt as their sole aim is to stay in power? No you can keep them in. After all, they have a clear political agenda. It’s the genius of the implementation. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/5 "2004-09-23T05:05:54Z")
Ho Chi Minh. Unquestionably. He’s the only guy I can think of that won a war due entirely to public support. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/6 "2004-09-23T05:52:48Z")
Charles de Gaulle deserves credit for being a great political strategist. ---
**Author:** ![MMI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@MMI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MMI)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/7 "2004-09-23T18:05:14Z")
FDR is probably the most effective 20th century politician in the US by a decent margin. Working ever-shifting coalitions to pass his shotgun blast of New Deal programs while simultaneously outflanking the isolationists, preparing the US militarily and politically for WWII, and skillfully adjusting public opinion through both his own speeches and actions and by provoking responses from foes to shift public opinion his way. Not to say he did not have certain foreign policy blind spots. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/8 "2004-09-24T06:32:33Z")
What, no nomination of Karl Rove yet? ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/9 "2004-09-24T06:33:59Z")
Second vote for Uncle Ho. ---
**Author:** ![Voodoochile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/898d66/32.png) [@Voodoochile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voodoochile)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/10 "2004-09-24T07:12:03Z")
Micheal Collins ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/11 "2004-09-24T12:44:06Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > What, no nomination of Karl Rove yet? Funny thing is, ONLY a lefty would deem him brilliant (if evil)! Conservatives regard him as a decent but far from brilliant strategist. ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/12 "2004-09-25T05:48:53Z")
I’d like to give a honorable mention of Nelson Mandela… not only because South Africa went through power change smothly but because he was decent enough to pass power after a small tenure. ---
**Author:** ![NewHeart\_Male](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@NewHeart\_Male](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NewHeart_Male)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/13 "2004-09-25T20:43:54Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > I’d like to give a honorable mention of Nelson Mandela… not only because South Africa went through power change smothly but because he was decent enough to pass power after a small tenure. But does that make him a great political strategist or just honourable? ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/14 "2004-09-26T00:21:23Z")
Mandela. He and de Klerk pulled off a peaceful succession in one of the least likely of places on Earth to pull one off. ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-political-strategist-in-20th-century/265562/15 "2004-09-27T05:38:55Z")
> [@NewHeart(Male)](#): > > But does that make him a great political strategist or just honourable? hehe… maybe he was so good at it… that in retrospect we just beleive it was easy. Its hard to measure how much of a challenge it really was the transition of power… but Mandela certainly pulled it off well. He is great… dont know if the “greatest”.