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Title: Power Corrupts
Review: Robert Caro's masterful biography of Robert Moses chronicles how power corrupts. Robert Moses assumed an obscure government post in New York, and through patronage jobs and construction contracts he turned it into a power center from which he was able to defy New York City mayors and state governors, from the 1930s into the 1960s. Moses, once an idealistic reformer, ruthlessly punished opponents, and rode roughshod over the public he ostensibly served, all in the name of progress.I never lived in New York, and was unfamiliar with Robert Moses, but the historical lesson of this book goes far beyond local New York politics. It is a fascinating study of the way political power works, and how, if unchecked, it can corrupt even the most idealistic. Author Robert Caro uses exhaustive research and interviews to paint a fascinating character study, and shows why he is the best historical biographer of our time.
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