Quizlet what was the function of political machines in cities at the turn of the twentieth century?

“Yes, many of our men have grown rich in politics. I have myself,” boasted George Washington Plunkitt, a New York politician and a member of Tammany Hall, one of the city’s infamous “political machines.”

At the turn of the 20th century, many U.S. cities were run by collections of self-serving political machines. These organizations controlled access to political power by rigging votes, buying people’s loyalty — and their ballots. Tammany Hall in New York City became the most famous, but Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago had their own political machines.

Quizlet what was the function of political machines in cities at the turn of the twentieth century?
In this 1887 woodcut, political opponents pull down a Tammany Hall booth on Election Day. (© Bettmann/Getty Images)

Local officials elected with the backing of political machines would use their positions to dispense favors — often jobs — to supporters. Unelected political machine bosses would snag lucrative contracts for big projects in their cities, which would make them and their followers rich.

It was so much money that Plunkitt wondered why anyone would resort to criminal behavior when there was so much “honest graft” to be had.

Starting around 1900, however, people power started to take apart political machines such as Tammany Hall. Nationwide, a progressive era began. Reform candidates called for an end to political patronage. Journalists exposed and lampooned the corruption of political bosses. Civil service examinations helped keep unqualified party loyalists from government positions.

Political machines around the world

Machine politics can crop up anywhere, as long as corrupt politicians feel compelled to buy votes or can get access to state funds and misuse them.

Quizlet what was the function of political machines in cities at the turn of the twentieth century?
Venezuelans in the midst of a massive hunger crisis wait to receive food deliveries at a border town in Colombia. (© Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

In Venezuela, the Maduro regime uses hunger to get votes. And in Iran, ostensibly charitable organizations such as the Bonyad Mostazafan use money to enrich their leaders. Bonyads often own hundreds of businesses whose profits flow to bosses. Bonyads are in the construction industry, too, building domestic airport terminals and infrastructure in other countries.

Historians attribute the eventual downfall of Tammany Hall to the anti-corruption platform of Fiorello La Guardia, who served as mayor of New York City from 1934 to 1945. His term inspired a new political order that replaced the machines.

That tradition continues today in the way parties choose their candidates. During the Progressive Era, states began to adopt direct primary systems, in which citizens choose party candidates rather than political bosses. Today’s combination of primaries and caucuses that select U.S. presidential candidates is one legacy of this era.

This story was originally published June 1.

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