 Solution

A finite solvable group is a group admitting a finite chain of normal subgroups with abelian successive quotients; equivalently its derived series eventually becomes trivial. The chainhas quotients $C_2,C_3,V_4$, all abelian. Thus $S_4$ is solvable. Every subgroup of a solvable group is solvable, because intersecting the chain with the subgroup gives factors isomorphic to subgroups of the original abelian factors. A Galois group of a polynomial of degree at most $4$ embeds in $S_4$ by its action on the roots, so it is solvable even if the polynomial is reducible or has repeated roots.

For the substitution, the characteristic-zero solvability by radicals theorem says that a polynomial has solvable Galois group if and only if its splitting field is contained in a finite tower formed by adjoining successive roots of elements of the preceding field. First place all roots $\alpha$ of $f$ in such a tower. Adjoin a primitive $m$th root of unity and, for every nonzero $\alpha$, an $m$th root ${\beta }_{\alpha }$. These are radical adjunctions, and all roots of $x^m-\alpha$ are ${\beta }_{\alpha }{\zeta }_m^j$. Zero roots require no adjunction. The resulting radical tower therefore contains the splitting field of $f(x^m)$. The theorem implies