While the Democratic party may have lost the Civil War, it has won the battle to control the Civil Service [[bureaucracy]]. Since the end of Reconstruction in 1876 and passage of the 1882 Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, the Democratic party is no longer dependent on the spoils system and winning elections to maintain its power. | While the Democratic party may have lost the Civil War, it has won the battle to control the Civil Service [[bureaucracy]]. Since the end of Reconstruction in 1876 and passage of the 1882 Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, the Democratic party is no longer dependent on the spoils system and winning elections to maintain its power. |