The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

Robert Caro has written an instant classic about a monumental public official. This remarkable 1,246 page biography of Robert Moses is virtually a history of the city of New York during a period when that city was experiencing its most dynamic growth. Caro sets forth the accomplishments of Moses and describes the procedures he used to achieve his objectives. The ultimate questions posed by Caro are two-fold: is it possible to build on the scale that Moses did with more humane and democratic, and less autocratic procedures? Would New York have been better off without the massive building that Moses accomplished? Caro describes two sides of Moses. One is the visionary, the supremely effective public official who outmaneuvered other politi cians for forty years and received the accolades of the public and the media. The other is the personal Moses, one who possessed an arrogant lust for accomplishment and power, fed by an ends justifies the means philosophy. He presented projects to other officials on a take it or leave it basis, with little ground for accommodation. Caro portrays Moses as a ruthless, unscrupulous power broker, presiding over an empire of public agencies in regal style. Moses built in New York when producing visible projects and accomplishments were good politics. Mayors and governors found it in their interest to be on the platform with Moses at the ribbon cuttings. The exposure was great, and the media covered the show religiously. Moses managed, workers worked, contractors built, underwriters floated, mayors and governors got public exposure, councilmen got notice of location, prior to public announcements, and the press got good stories. New York was a swinging optimistic Big Apple. Caro describes Moses' massive parks construction pro