Mafia And The Mafia

Everyone has heard of the notorious Al Capone. Gang leader from Chicago who is responsible for many murders. What some may not know is that he was also a part of a much larger organization known as The Mafia. Defined by Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary as a “secret criminal society” the Mafia controls all organized crime in a particular area. They knew how to get what they wanted without getting caught and were not afraid of anything or anyone. Although the Mafia is still around today their prime years were from the 1920’s to the 1970’s. `Beginning in the late 19th century organized crime rose in popularity among American people. The Mafia and its following depended on family ties, secrecy, and loyalty as they participated in lawless

Supply and demand it is the simplest form of economics, yet what the government prohibits it seems there will always be a demand especially alcohol. The mafia

The Sicilian Mafia and the Camorra (mafia group located in Naples) were both created in the mid-1800’s (FBI 2010). These are the two mafia groups we will focus on. The Sicilian Mafia was originally an underground secret society formed to unite the peasants as resistance fighters and vigilante justice to protect their families and friends. In the 1920’s these chivalrous groups developed into what we know as the mafia. The Camorra was originally a prison gang that took controlled the prison and collected fees from the prisoners and guards for keeping order. They continued to meet after leaving prison and spread throughout Naples. They are currently Italy’s largest organized crime group with over 7,000 members (FBI 2010).

Prohibition in the United States was an extent intended to decrease drinking by removing the businesses that produced, dispersed, and retailed alcoholic beverages. The 18 Amendment made an approval to the United States Constitution that bared the production, transference and trade of hallucinogenic liquors. Conversely, this piloted a historical Crusades recognized as the Prohibition movement (Asbury, 1950). At that time the well-known temperance movement was demanding and had little or no affect even though the legislation was behind them. This was during the 20th century when they were recognized as the Volstead Act. Unfortunately, this sparked the illegal surge and fabrication of the distribution of liquor (referred as bootlegging), which created alternative areas the initiated gang fierceness and numerous crime activity that conquering of the Prohibition movement that terminated at the end of the 20’s (Levinthal, 2016). Unfortunately, the United States realized that the prohibition was very draining and costly and looked for other substitutions and approaches. Eventually, the nation surge of alcohol prohibition changed to local procedures of regulation.

During the 1920’s there was an experiment in the U.S. “The Prohibition”, this experiment, made by the government, was written as the 18th amendment. The prohibition led to the bootlegging, increase in crimes, and gang wars.

The Mafia was first developed in Sicily in feudal times to protect the estates of landlords who were out of town. The word Mafia, derived from the Sicilian word, Mafioso, means family. Today, Mafia is a name which describes a loose association of criminal groups. These groups can be bound together by blood, oath or sworn secrecy. Many people had considered the Sicilian Mafia as the most ruthless mobsters of the twentieth century.

Prohibition was a period of time in which the sale, manufacture, or transport of alcoholic beverages became illegal. It started January 16, 1919 and continued to December 5, 1933. Although it was designed to put an end to all drinking, it simply created a large number of bootleggers who produced and sold illegal alcohol. Many of these bootleggers became very rich and influential through selling alcohol and also through other methods. They pioneered the practices of organized crime that are still used today. Thus, Prohibition led to the rapid growth of organized crime.

The choice of prohibition, a decision designed to make America a safer place, not only made America drastically more dangerous, but it also led to a substantial rise in organized crime. The reasons for prohibition include the temperance movement and the thought of a safer society. These reasons, which led to prohibition becoming a law, only did the opposite. Prohibition opened the gates and allowed for the sale of illegal alcohol, bootlegging, to grow exponentially. This easy opportunity to make substantial amounts of money caused the Italian crime families to begin the bootlegging business. Prohibition also led to more alcohol related deaths, and severely hurt the doomed economy by taking away thousands of jobs. The Prohibition Era allowed for the Italian crime families to become so wealthy and so entrenched in society that they could no longer be stopped.

The prohibition was a widespread movement during the first decade of the 20th century that sought to illegalize the widespread distribution of alcohol. Although enforced by the Volstead Act legislation proposed on December 18, 1917, it was very difficult to mandate and often resulted in illegal production and sale of liquor, known as “bootlegging”.

Just like in every other business legal or not legal if there is demand, be rest assured there will be a supply. The result was bootlegging “alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes.” (random house, 2015) Bootlegging helped open the door for more organized crime such as opening speakeasies, which were private illegal stores and clubs that sold alcohol. These activities turned out to be a very lucrative business in the black market sector, thus creating large organized crime groups, more criminal and violent activities. This was especially true in the larger cities, such as Chicago were one man named Al Capone ruled the city “One of the most famous American gangsters, Al Capone, also

“But when mobsters and mob bosses saw an opportunity to make huge profits from the manufacturing and sale of alcohol throughout Prohibition, they took advantage of it. As various gangs competed, violence increased (Benson,2009). Al Capone, one of the most successful, saw an advantage to make money he invested majorly in alcohol to resell and make colossal profits. “Al Capone” came to be one of the biggest leaders by brutally killing other rival gang members. Its most adverse effects on society included the growth of a large and powerful underworld of bootlegging, smuggling, organized crime, and brutal violence” (Temperance and Prohibition, 2009). Progressively the nation saw the profits of money being made by breaking the law and wanted to be part of it. Consuming alcohol being illegal also made people want it more, leading to them going out to speakeasies and drinking a higher amount than previously to

From the beginning of the 20th century multiple political organizations and the federal government have fought to control alcoholism in America. I chose to do prohibition because the fact that the action taken by the federal government in order to form a better society has led to an explosion of criminal offences in the past as well as today. The effects of prohibition consistently offer a hand in the shaping of American culture. Full-fledged black markets and organized crime groups both offset the supposed benefits of prohibition. Today, teenagers often turn to the underage consumption of alcohol to make them seem “cool,” or as a form of rebellion against parental and governmental authorities.

As the Mafia grew in America, they prospered off illegal gambling and prostitution. It wasn't until 1919 with the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution that the Mafia really gained power. The 18th amendment banned the distribution and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages in America (Prohibition 2). Although this amendment meant nothing but good, it did the exact opposite to America. While politicians saw an improved nation with this amendment, criminals saw green. Americans now thought drinking as a thrill, it was something illegal that they can do but get away with. It was the rush of getting away with it that made speakeasies so popular. Speakeasies were Mafia-run entertainment clubs, consisting of an open bar of the finest bootlegged liquor along with dining and entertainment (Prohibition 5).

Today, the term "mafia" refers not only to these Italian offenders. Affected by the organization, similar groups of mafias, such as the Russian mafia, have emerged in other parts of the world. Sometimes referred to as local mafia, these elements are still referred to by the daily mafia, still referring to the group of Sicilian criminals in the United States. On the other hand, the same is Italian, but the criminal organization located in Napoli is not called the mafia, but another name is "Camorra". Mafia English "Mafia" is derived from Arabic, meaning "flight". The term is borrowed to refer to a loose combination of middle-aged

“The term “Mafia” came from a Sicilian-Arabic slang expression that means “acting as a protector against the arrogance of the powerful,” according to Selwyn Raab, author of “Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires.” The mafia is one of the biggest crime organized groups in the world. They are groups of “families” that are criminals and do a lot of illegal businesses. They have all the money and power you could ever imagine. They are so powerful they could get anything they wanted in the snap of their fingers. The main point to be in the Mafia is to make money and to have power, a lot of it. They are involved in a lot of illegal crimes. You don’t want to get involved with the mafia because next thing you know you may as well die just then and there. They are feared and respected by many people. The mafia is the biggest crime organization in the world.