Italian Mafia Essay

Criminal groups exist everywhere. However what defines each organized crime group depends upon what ultimate goal each group looks to achieve. In New York City, there has been organized crime in existence since the 1900’s. Although changing names, and rulers throughout the years, this group has always been known as the mafia. Predominantly, it has been known as the Italian mafia. Italian mafia just like it’s counterparts in the Irish and Jewish mafia underwent structural, social, and physical changes in order for it to reach its current status. Many people believe it has existed as long as it has due to the ingenious

Despite the power they were able to achieve by associating with influential politicians, members of the old Mafia didn’t live a lavish lifestyle. While the capomafioso, Don Calò, did possess a significant amount of money, profiting off of their behavior was

The Irish Mafia is an organized crime family that was founded in the early 19th century. The Irish Mob is the oldest crime group in the United States, and run crime in areas such as Boston, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. They commit murder, hijack vehicles, and run drugs through the U.S and Ireland, although, they only expanded to Ireland in the 1960s. These men are still present in today’s society.

The Mafia is multiple crime organizations engaged in smuggling drugs and participating in other criminal activities in the US, Italy, Russia, and elsewhere (dictionary.com).

MAFIA - "a secret association having for its object the illicit control of any enterprise, legitimate or illegitimate, which it decides to infiltrate" (Allen 6).

“Mafia” was originally the name of an association of Sicilians who collaborated for protection and vigilante law enforcement during the Spanish occupation of the island.” (Nash Para 12). The prohibition of alcohol caused the fear of crime within the nation. Especially the large cities, such as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The eighteenth amendment was written prohibiting all uses of alcohol.

     Mafia business transactions were usually done face to face as a one to one communication. No one but the two parties talking knew what was said. Business was rarely discussed around a board table or in a group meeting. When an action needed to be taken to correct a problem with a family member or to settle a dispute with a different family's member, the bosses communicated directly. They were private conversation between the boss and the person involved.

When is comes to family, there is no social value placed when you have earnings from week to week paychecks for their hard work. Significant amount of social value was only given to the member of the mafia who had the status both socially and in their family to do and take whatever they wanted. This social value was labeled by the celebrity significance,neighborhood and businessmen around their areas that gave them that label. Other symbols were the expensive jewelry worn by the families and mainly wives and the expensive clothes and big cars the men would

The Sicilian Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, The Italian Mob, The Italian Mafia, and The Mafia. These are five names for one of the most terrifying criminal organizations in the history of Europe. The name “Sicilian” originated from a small island just offshore of the Italian mainland, located in the Mediterranean Sea; Sicily Island. This is where over the course of many centuries, five major clans, or “families” led their own internal governments, usually run by the head of the family. “The Sicilian

This is a criminal action that's purposely undertaken with the aim of acquiring influence, power and gain. It involves a few people that organize themselves on various hierarchical basis and they engage in both illegal and legal activities. The various positions might be assigned according to friendship or kinship notably hierarchical or skill. There is extreme readiness to use bribery or violence to maintain discipline and also to achieve targets that are intended. Organized offenses have taken different names determined by the area but ‘Mafia’ is a universal name that relates to numerous organized groups on the planet.

The Mafia was able to achieve this prolific infiltration of American society in part because of a mass exodus of mafioso from Sicily after a brutal crackdown by the Fascist regime. Before their emigration from Sicily the mafia contended itself at times as a governmental body that exists outside of the law, with sense of honor and with a code even if it be a bit twisted. As a result of this image some members of Sicilian society viewed the Mafia favorably, garnering them a mystical and romantic quality if you were lucky enough to not be involved in the unsavory nature of the organization. Mussolini sought to undercut this appeal of the Mafia, in a statement Benito said “Gentlemen, it is time that I showed the Mafia up to you...Let nobody speak of the nobility or chivalry of the Mafia, unless he really wishes to insult the whole of Sicily.” In conjunction with his statement Mussolinis crackdown ensued shortly thereafter bringing the likes of Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Joseph “Socks” Lanza, Vito Genovese, and many more to America.

Mafia – this word is well known all around the world, which for many people creates negative visions and associations from the first glance, like violence, contract kills, trafficking of illegal goods, gambling, prostitution and so on. Despite all of these stereotypes and associations, only very few people can tell what actually “Mafia“ means. It is an easy guess, where this word has its origins – without a doubt it came from Sicily. Originally, Mafia or Mafioso means aggressive boasting or bragging and has origins from Islamic Sicily times in 9th century A.D. Mafias are concerned to be organized criminal groups with broad network of connections all around the world, which usually are penetrated inside the state apparatus and thus their existence is dependent on the state. I would like to present and analyse one of the most famous mafia groups in the world – the Cosa Nostra. I would like to include the background of its establishment, provide explanation of the original structure of this organization, look inside its activities in Italy and United States of America distinguish its image in media and pop culture and reality and justify the stereotypes of Cosa Nostra.

Later came popular mafia groups that owned most cities and states in the United States. Stated by the History.com staff “The American Mafia started with "La Mano Nera" or the “The Black Hand", extorting Italians (and other immigrants) around New York City. Black Hand gangsters would threaten them by mail if their extortion demands were not met. The threats were sometimes marked with a hand-print in black ink at the bottom of the page”. This marked the upcoming of big names in the mafia. Sicilian gangsters came into the U.S. from Italy and began most of the illegal activities in New York. “As more Sicilian gangsters began immigrating to the America, they expanded their criminal activities from extortion to loan-sharking, prostitution, drugs

The Italian Mafia in the U.S. can trace its origins all the way back to the Sicilian Mafia which was founded in Sicily during the 1800’s (Italian Organized Crime). After thousands of years of different armies with different nationalities conquering Italy and exploiting its people, the Sicilians became to be more clannish and family focused. Originally they were just resistance fighters that were protecting their friends and family. They were relied on for protection, justice, and survival. Nobody cared if they got money from it because it came from the oppressive authorities. Members of these groups were known as “Men of Honor” and they were well respected and even admired because they looked out for their family and kept silent sometimes even unto death. They didn’t become an organized crime group until the 1920’s however (Italian Organized Crime). It was around this same time that the US began to see what later became La Cosa Nostra or “our thing,” better known as the American Mafia which was aided by the “thousands of Italian organized crime figures, mostly Sicilian Mafiosi” who came to the United States illegally (Italian Organized Crime). The modern American Mafia is credited to Charles “Lucky” Luciano who came over in the 1920’s (Italian Organized Crime). Luciano structured La Cosa Nostra just like their Sicilian

Imagine living in a world where crime ruled. A world where gangsters were more powerful than politicians, owned the police, and ran the city in whatever way they felt. They robbed whom they wanted and killed when they didn't get their way. Now stop imagining and realize that this happened here in the United States of America in the 1920's. It was run by an organization made up mainly of Italians called the Mafia.