How Did Robert Moses Lose His Early Idealism?

Robert Caro says Robert Moses did change from a young idealist into a builder who would not listen. Before the building years, Moses was an expert in the technicalities of civil service and put his energy into reform so people would be promoted on merit instead of political pull. Early work showed real idealism: he wanted beaches and the ocean made accessible to New York.

Moses later wanted to build because he thought something should be built, no matter what anyone else said and no matter how many people stood in the way. People told him not to build the Cross Bronx Expressway before he did it. The minute the road opened, it was the world's longest traffic jam. Not thousands, but tens of thousands of people were thrown out of their homes without any relocation provisions.

A big part of the story of The Power Broker is what happens when power hardens the person who holds it against anyone who opposes him. Caro reaches for hardening, and he sets aside the word corrupting.