In: Economics
Discuss political machines in the USA. Were Political Machines beneficial?
In United States politics, the political machine refers to a party organization (or a political group) which is headed by an authoritative boss or small autocratic group, commands sufficient votes to maintain administrative and political control of a city, state, or county. These were developed in the early 19th century in the United States and it's power were on the peak toward the end of the century, and after 1900 declined in importance. In the decades between the Civil War (1861-1865) and the Great Depression (1930s) these dominated political life in majority cities in U.S. However at the turn of the century the progressive Era reformers successfully compelled local governments for the introduction of merit systems in civil service and replaced patronage of party in government employment. After the losing the control over government jobs, it was difficult to recruit activists and workers. Moreover with the introduction of the primary election diminished the machine leader's ability for the nominations in dominate party, and thus caused to free elected officials from the control of machines.
The political machine and the 'boss' provided tangible benefits for urban poor such as government jobs, assistance in emergencies, and numerous social services. Moreover also for the lower classes it provided entertainment through parades, picnics, rallies, speeches, and other fanfare.