Why were political machines difficult to break up?
They always operated within the law.

They created a cycle of supply and demand.

They used violence to intimidate voters.

They created a cycle of favors for votes.

Question

Why were political machines difficult to break up?
They always operated within the law.

They created a cycle of supply and demand.      

They used violence to intimidate voters. 

They created a cycle of favors for votes.

anonymous · Answer

Basically, they consolidated all their power in a single base that was more or less 
fanatically loyal to their leader, making it hard to draw them away from each other. 
They are difficult to break up because people formed strong alliances.