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The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro





The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro

With many people seeking him, Moses self-imposed himself as an unofficial (and unelected) bureaucratic leader, a position he used to gain power and even managed to make some of the leaders on top of him, his subjects. He, however, charged them extravagant prices, taking advantage of his skills, reputation and popularity. With time, various projects and contractors such as Verrazano Narrows Bridge started seeking him for his skill in bridges, roads and parks’ construction. Moses kept on expanding his knowledge in matters of administration, power and public relations through interaction with influential people and those in power, and in the 1930s, Moses had already earned himself a good reputation in the construction of big and appealing parks around the city and across New York State. The description of the city before Robert Moses shows a city that was underdeveloped and had minimal growth, poor transportation means and unplanned social amenities such as parks. This is knowledge he really needed because he had a plan of building roads and bridges across the city. During this working period, Moses gained skill, knowledge and experience, in matters of politics and learned how power worked and was delegated. After that, he got another chance to work for the then New York mayor, Jimmy Walker in the state senate. Although he failed to deliver as the appointed advocate, he later got a chance to work for Al Smith, the then governor for New York County in the New York State Assembly. In the book The Power Broker Caro looks at the life of Moses, the main character, from his childhood days, to his later years when he was an advocate of reforms to progress New York City, which by then had a corrupt civil service system.







The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro