HY 357 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency
6 Jun 2018
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The Growth of the Federal Bureaucracy
The federal bureaucracy began with the three cabinet departments established by George
Washington in 1789. Since that time, not only have the number of departments in the cabinet
more than tripled, but now there are also myriad agencies, bureaus, government corporations,
authorities, and administrations that take care of the government's business.
The nature of the civil service
For the purposes of this book, the term civil service refers to the civilian employees of the federal
government. Wealthy men dominated the bureaucracy through the 1820s. This changed with the
election of President Andrew Jackson (1828), who opened government jobs to the common
people. He inaugurated the spoils system, under which party loyalty — not experience or talent
— became the criterion for a federal job. This was the beginning of patronage, and it continued
through the late 19th century. Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1883, which created a
system for hiring federal workers based on qualifications rather than political allegiance;
employees were also protected from losing their jobs when the administration changed. To
encourage a nonpartisan bureaucracy, the Hatch Act (1939) prohibited federal workers from
running for office or actively campaigning for other candidates. Such limitations on civil liberties
are considered by many the price that has to be paid for a professional, nonpolitical bureaucracy.
The rise of the welfare state
During the 1930s, the size of the federal bureaucracy mushroomed due to President Franklin
Roosevelt's New Deal agencies. Although many were short-lived, others continue to play a role
in the lives of Americans: the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Out of these agencies' programs
grew the concept of the welfare state, under which the federal government (rather than
individuals, municipalities, or the states) assumes the major responsibility for the well-being of
the people. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society during the 1960s expanded the welfare
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