A lecture by The West End Museum’s Executive Director, Sebastian Belfanti, on the political impact of Boston’s 20th-century mayors.

Over the course of the 20th century, Boston underwent a major change in political leadership, from the dynamic and populist, but corrupt, James Michael Curley, to New Boston’s honest but elite-centric Hynes and Collins. They were followed by Kevin White, who tried to bridge these two leadership styles with a more populist good-government approach. The story of how these shifts changed the political landscape of Boston, reshaped the city, and created “The New Boston” are critical to understanding the city today.