The Rise an Fall of the Machine Chicago politics had become synonymous with organized crime. Following the years of prohibition, this reputation had become well earned in that control of many municipal functions was influenced in some way by the underground operations. In a city that initially developed by entrepreneurial ambition, it was no surprise that now money was the core influence in policy decisions. By itself, the criminal element had enough of a deterring …showed first 75 words of 1179 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1179 total…the institution that was the Chicago Political Machine. Her campaign focused on attacking machine politics, city bosses, and the evils of all those involved. What was more surprising to me than anything was that Chicago appeared to welcome the changes Byrne promised to deliver, showing that the people had grown weary of dealing with the politics of the Machine. Byrne’s triumph at the polls was the end of a fifty-year saga in Chicago politics.