SKU: 99685991557

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

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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New YorkEverywhere acknowledged as a modern American classic, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and chosen by the Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest books of the twentieth century, The Power Broker is a huge and galvanizing biography revealing not only the saga of one man's incredible accumulation of power, but the story of the shaping (and mis shaping) of New York in the twentieth century. Robert Caro's monumental book makes public what few outsiders

Everywhere acknowledged as a modern American classic, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and chosen by the Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest books of the twentieth century, The Power Broker is a huge and galvanizing biography revealing not only the saga of one man's incredible accumulation of power, but the story of the shaping (and mis-shaping) of New York in the twentieth century.

Robert Caro's monumental book makes public what few outsiders knew: that Robert Moses was the single most powerful man of his time in the City and in the State of New York. And in telling the Moses story, Caro both opens up to an unprecedented degree the way in which politics really happens--the way things really get done in America's City Halls and Statehouses--and brings to light a bonanza of vital information about such national figures as Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt (and the genesis of their blood feud), about Fiorello La Guardia, John V. Lindsay and Nelson Rockefeller.

But The Power Broker is first and foremost a brilliant multidimensional portrait of a man--an extraordinary man who, denied power within the normal framework of the democratic process, stepped outside that framework to grasp power sufficient to shape a great city and to hold sway over the very texture of millions of lives. We see how Moses began: the handsome, intellectual young heir to the world of Our Crowd, an idealist. How, rebuffed by the entrenched political establishment, he fought for the power to accomplish his ideals. How he first created a miraculous flowering of parks and parkways, playlands and beaches--and then ultimately brought down on the city the smog-choked aridity of our urban landscape, the endless miles of (never sufficient) highway, the hopeless sprawl of Long Island, the massive failures of public housing, and countless other barriers to humane living. How, inevitably, the accumulation of power became an end in itself.

Moses built an empire and lived like an emperor. He was held in fear--his dossiers could disgorge the dark secret of anyone who opposed him. He was, he claimed, above politics, above deals; and through decade after decade, the newspapers and the public believed. Meanwhile, he was developing his public authorities into a fourth branch of government known as "Triborough"--a government whose records were closed to the public, whose policies and plans were decided not by voters or elected officials but solely by Moses--an immense economic force directing pressure on labor unions, on banks, on all the city's political and economic institutions, and on the press, and on the Church. He doled out millions of dollars' worth of legal fees, insurance commissions, lucrative contracts on the basis of who could best pay him back in the only coin he coveted: power. He dominated the politics and politicians of his time--without ever having been elected to any office. He was, in essence, above our democratic system.

Robert Moses held power in the state for 44 years, through the governorships of Smith, Roosevelt, Lehman, Dewey, Harriman and Rockefeller, and in the city for 34 years, through the mayoralties of La Guardia, O'Dwyer, Impellitteri, Wagner and Lindsay, He personally conceived and carried through public works costing 27 billion dollars--he was undoubtedly America's greatest builder.

This is how he built and dominated New York--before, finally, he was stripped of his reputation (by the press) and his power (by Nelson Rockefeller). But his work, and his will, had been done.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: 07/12/1974
ISBN: 9780394480763
Pages: 1296
Weight: 4.16lbs
Size: 9.52h x 6.52w x 2.54d

Review Citations: Newsweek 02/16/2009 pg. 49
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SKU: 99685991557

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Product was a gift for my wife. She's been using it now for a week, about 2 hours total and thus far it's a good gift. My wife likes the set as whole.
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Love love this set!!! Especially the wine aerator/Pourer it’s a game changer especially if you like to entertain. You can line up a couple of different variety of wine bottles attach the pourers and let your guest serve themselves. The wine pourer is measured so you don’t over pour and it automatically stops… love this and getting a few more pourers to have ready when I have guests iver!!
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A Disaster. Can only give this 8-in-1 gift set one star. The electric aerator has a mind of its own. The second time it was used, an hour after the first pour, it then decided to start pouring on its own, drenching the counter and floor with wine until my wife and I figured out what was going on and got up to try to shut it off. It wouldn’t shut off and had to be pulled out of the wine bottle still running on its own. Half of a very good bottle of wine was wasted. It never did shut off. Had to be thrown in the trash outside still running. Funny now as I describe it, but not funny at all when it happened. The rest of the set so far is working well. If you have to buy this brand, please don’t buy the set with the electric aerator. It's fully automatic all right, but that’s a very very bad thing.
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Circle Joy Electric Wine Bottle Opener and I’m honestly really impressed. Setup was super simple, and it works exactly as advertised—just place it on the bottle, press a button, and the cork comes out smoothly in seconds. No struggling, no broken corks, and no mess. It makes opening wine feel effortless and a lot more enjoyable. I also love the sleek design—it looks modern and feels sturdy, not cheap. If you have the set with accessories, the extras like the foil cutter and pourer are a nice bonus and actually useful. Overall, this is a great little gadget, especially if you open wine often or just want something convenient and easy to use. Definitely a solid buy or even a nice gift idea.
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