The 1973 book `The Power Broker` written by Robert Caro

Running Head : The 1973 The 1973 book `The Power Broker` written by Robert Caro br

The 1973 book `The Power Broker` written by Robert Caro

Introduction

Politicians , Executive and Judiciary are supposed to be the pillars of democracy . The later two do service for a fixed period , and retire on attaining retirement age . No so with the politician . He is there for a limited period of 4-5 years . He gives certain promises on the basis of the election manifesto of the party to which he belongs and is supposed

to work hard and with initiative to fulfill those promises , as otherwise he may not win the next election . The life of a politician is subject to various pressures and pulls , and therefore he can not take his own decisions . He needs to take care of so many interests , and so many individuals who had helped him during the election campaign . Getting the party nomination for the election is not an easiest of the jobs . Lots of behind the scene activities go on and the `Kingmakers ' manage the decisive say from selection of the party candidates and subsequent running of the affairs of the Government . With no legal sanctity for their status , yet they exercise tremendous control in all areas of administration , influence all major decisions with sheer manipulation and money-power

Some have a mission in life , some exist to earn commission ! In any endeavor their prime question is , `what is my cut ' The character Moses in the book The Power Broker ' by Robert Caro , is not the biblical personality . He is the individual with die-hard attitudes and his playing field is politics , business and the related areas . New York City is the epicenter of his clandestine yet open activities . This book , in view of the nature of its contents demands a unique classification . It contains the be-all and end-all of the life governing the New York City What happens in New York affects other cities of USA as well , and those in the similar profession (of brokerage , learn lessons from the implementation skill of Moses . He `ruled ' New York City for half a century . That shows the grit , courage and determination of the man though he was operating on the darker side , and his actions were full of negativities . What are the loopholes in the functioning of democracy in USA-ask Moses ! He made mockery of the administration , rules and regulations and even the constitutional provisions , in his pursuit of aggrandizement of wealth . The book has been hailed as the greatest one on New York City , and it is a useful guide and study material for the planner , reformer and the politician - especially the later , if at all one thinks that serious study is necessary in money-making politics

Moses influenced and shaped the twentieth-century New York . He was the uncrowned King and lived like an emperor . The problems faced by the New York City , the urban decline , are the direct outcome of the physical structure that he built for the city . He...