Question

Are Political Machines good or bad and why?

Answer 1

Political Machines. Systems of corrupt politics that began when politics did, political machines are looked down upon by historians because of the personal gains that the people who ran these political machines wanted. However, did it really have negative effects?

Firstly, it gave immigrants free citizenship, a job, and help to acclimate into the new country. In addition, because of the large gap between national and state government, the political machines provided a bridge between these two: they sped the process of something getting done. If A demanded B, and neither the national nor state government answered, A would look to the political machines. Lastly, the political machines helped the middle class from the horrible conditions of the city: poverty, crime, fire, disease, etc.

Yes, these systems may have rigged elections, but do the positive outcomes outweigh the negative?