Urban Political Machines & their Decline Extent Reform Other Forces Impact

HAVE URBAN POLITICAL MACHINES REALLY DISAPPEARED? Four elements of machines (in addition to patronage) Four changes in the practice of machine politics

Four Elements of Machines (in addition to patronage or material rewards) Disciplined hierarchy – led by single boss Party controls nomination to public office Party leadership does not hold public office Loyalty maintained by a mixture of non- ideological and psychic rewards

Tammany Hall Politics revolves around boss Richard Croker (1889) Richard CrokerRichard Croker

Four Changes in Practices of Machine Politics Racial divisions fracture hierarchy Patronage less important New immigrants less dependent on machines New institutions take functions of central city machines

DECLINE OF MACHINE POLITICS EXTENT REFORM OTHER FORCES IMPACT

Reforming the Machines Out of Business Social dimensions of Reformers Programs of structural reforms

Reformers and Bosses: Social Dimensions View of social reformers as “morning glories” Conflicts between reformers and bosses ◦ Immigrants looked on politics from personal perspective ◦ Upper-middle class reformers looked on politics as arena to realize broad moral principles ◦ Differences in ethos: public regarding vs private regarding Social Reformers ◦ Concern with abuses of capitalist system ◦ Example: (Hazen Pingree – Detroit)

Goals/Programs of Structural Reformers Goal: efficiency (as contrasted with anti- capitalism of reformers ◦ Example: (Grover Cleveland – Buffalo) Core programs ◦ Merit appointments ◦ Privatization

Notable Innovations (electoral machinery) of the Urban Structural Reformers Direct primaries At-large elections Short ballot Non-partisan elections

DECLINE OF MACHINE POLITICS EXTENT REFORM OTHER FORCES IMPACT

Other Forces and the Decline of Machines Federal government Demography

Federal Government and Decline of the Urban Political Machines Welfare politics empowers the federal government ◦ Magnitude of resources involved beyond the capabilities of municipalities ◦ thought of as a legal right Infrastructure development favors a national focus ◦ Equity between cities/regions ◦ Again, magnitude of resources problem Courts

Demographics and the Decline of Urban Political Machines Minority migration pressures machines to become more inclusive Westward drift increases proportion of population in urban areas lacking machine tradition Rise of suburbia ◦ Lack machine tradition ◦ Suburbanites focus on their careers rather than on patronage from machines

Decline of the Urban Machine EXTENT REFORM OTHER FORCES IMPACT

Impact of the Urban Political Machine’s Decline: Institutions Kinds of cities that favor reform style of government ◦ Strong mayor (Chicago) ◦ Council – manager (Dallas/San Diego) ◦ Commission (Galveston, Texas)

Other Impacts of the Urban Political Machine’s Decline Class bias of political reform Fragmentation and the decrease of accountability