Final answer:
Machine politics was the new form of politics created in cities, characterized by the exchange of services for political support and votes, often leading to corruption. Political machines like Tammany Hall, led by Boss Tweed, provided practical urban solutions but were marred by graft.
Step-by-step explanation:
The new form of politics created in cities during the period in the question's context is referred to as machine politics.
This organizational structure revolved around a political machine or entity with the purpose of maintaining political power, typically headed by a dominant and influential boss.
The hallmark of this system was the exchange of services and aid such as jobs, housing, and food for political support and votes from the residents, often including immigrants and the working class who were heavily reliant on these forms of support.
The political machine would expedite solutions to urban problems like sanitation or infrastructure needs by cutting through bureaucratic red tape, often resulting in a pattern of graft and corruption, as seen with Tammany Hall, led by Boss Tweed in New York.
Machine politics were capable of exploiting extensive urban challenges by providing practical relief to the working class through direct action, rather than through formal government procedures, which were often hampered by inefficiency.
However, this system also fostered corruption as political bosses like William 'Boss' Tweed used their position to conduct graft, bribery, and exploitative electoral practices.
Despite these issues, the political machines were effective in offering timely urban solutions and were integral to the assimilation of immigrants into American society.
The Progressive Era sought to combat this corruption through reforms that included the implementation of the commissioner system and the city-manager system, to separate the daily operations of the city from political influence and ensure governance based on expertise and merit rather than political favors.