Patronage continues to be widespread – thousands of American civil servants serve ‘at the pleasure of the president’ and municipal politicians the world over appoint officials, for example. The Royal Navy was arguably the most successful navy in the Age of Sail, laying the foundations of Britain’s empire – but it was also riddled with patronage. Nelson also went on to become an outstanding naval officer, commanding British fleets that destroyed their enemies at the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar (Coleman 2001). Nepotism and patronage were closely linked in his case – a family member promoted his fortunes and could do so because there was discretion over public appointments. The young man in our little story is Horatio Nelson, who joined the Royal Navy aged 12, serving on his uncle’s ship HMS Raisonnable. What are the chances that an organisation where such a career path is not just possible, but common, will do very well? Before long, at the tender age of 21, you find yourself in charge of 200 men, making life-and-death decisions on your own. Then, after a few years, you pass a major exam in front of a panel your uncle, who has in the meantime risen to a position of major influence.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1072790530-d5682b3aa6984d06b21fc4cc321d6aba.jpg "during the war of 1812 what was the ratio of us ships vs the british navy")
Imagine going to work for your uncle at an early age.
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