In studying the effect of New Deal on urban political machines, Bruce M. Stave challenges the traditional view of declining bossism in America from the 1930s through the 1950s. Using Pittsburgh as his case study, he demonstrates how political power was transferred from a once-invincible Republican machine to the Democratic Party led by David L. Lawrence. Stave traces the consolidation of patronage control and grassroots voting support with a special emphasis on the interplay between politics and federal work relief during the depression decade.

Bruce M. Stave is director of the Oral History Office at the University of Connecticut. He is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus and chaired the University of Connecticut Department of History for nine years. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including: From the Old Country: An Oral History of European Migration to America and The Making of Urban History: Historiography through Oral History.