High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Chicago machine is one of the most powerful political machines in American history. Also referred to as the "Chicago Democratic machine", or as the "Chicago" or "Cook County regular Democratic organization" when contrasted with more progressive Democrats, it dominated, to greater or lesser degrees, Chicago politics (and consequently, Cook County and Illinois politics) for much of the 20th century since the 1930s. Like all political machines, it relies on a tight organizational structure of ward committeemen and precinct captains to elect candidates. Political and social scientists and historians interpreting the political history of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois in terms of machine politics focus on the shifting power relationships between diverse ethnic constituencies, on the spoils system, the role of public office in the personal enrichment of participants, and on cooperation between partcipants on the election and re-election of...