Chicago Politics
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 effect on the city and its image. But when combined with the structure of the city's administration and the distribution of power, a tool which had originally been created for the good of society just did not work the way it should have. The "Chicago Machine" had its foundations laid during the brief term (1931-33) of Anton Cermak. The only foreign-born mayor of Chicago to date, he managed to climb the ranks of the Democratic Party, along with Pat Nash, through a quick and skillful mastery of the politics of Chicago's ethnic ghettos. He opposed the Prohibition that was unpopular with immigrant workers, and carefully balanced Democratic slates and platforms among the many ethnic, labor, and business interests. He believed, like Mayor Richard J. Daley after him,
Such good things were not meant to last. 1943 saw the death of Pat Nash, and soon after came an abrupt decline to the system that worked so well. Differences arose between some Democratic Party members and the fiery-tempered Kelly, and he was asked to step down from campaigning for the office again. When his successor Martin Kennelly took office, he found Chicago in a deteriorating state, and his administration was undoubtedly connected to the underworld. Though not a mediocre mayor, his retreat from political conflicts at times made him seem like one. This political inactivity adversely effected Chicago, no longer was the mayor's office home to the boss of the city. Once again, the power was in the wrong place. Jane Byrne defeated Michael Belandic in the 1979 election, an inevitable outcome to his poor performance as mayor in the previous couple years. Truly her inauguration marked the complete downfall of 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. The machine would soon feel the loss of another major supporting community, Chicago's African-American neighborhoods. Michael Belandic, the adequate stand-in after the loss of Daley, managed to lose the confidence of these peoples throughout his term in office. The victim of inexperience, nature punished Chicago with a mighty blizzard in January of 79, and a somewhat panicy Belandic proved himself to be ineffective. The
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Approximate Word count = 1208
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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