ABSTRACT

Rudolph Giuliani was audacious. His mayoralty challenged the conventions of urban life and revised urban priorities. In both public policies and personal style, he consistently defied expectation by insisting on doing what was considered undoable. Even though his actions were often at odds with core elements of the New York spirit, his brashness and brazenness were quintessentially New York. Moreover, the contradictions of his character captured the complexity of his city. As Giuliani became a national and international figure, he underlined New York's role as a mirror of national dilemmas and a harbinger of national change.