Organized Crime And The Rise Of The Mafia

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.

Organized criminals, such as the American mobsters and European crime syndicates, thrived, as most people looked them as heroes. Criminals like Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger were the headliners of that era. When the American government passed the Eighteenth Amendment outlawing alcohol, people who enjoyed drinking became criminal for doing so. Alcohol was seen as the devils advocate, the government believed that banning the substance would help improve the quality of American lives. Instead, it caused an explosive growth in crime with more than double the amount of illegal bars and saloons that we happening before Prohibition.

In the 1920s and 1930s America saw a large growth in mafias & mobs, drug & Alcohol Trafficking, and the organization of crime were a result of the Prohibition.

The decade of the 1920s was full of deception, corruption, and degeneration. The very embodiment of these qualities was the institution of the Italian-American Mafia. The syndicate began in Sicily and spread to encompass United States politics and the national economy. The post war era left the nation in a recession and vulnerable to organized crime. Changes in the country's attitudes and outlooks on the future paved the way for organized crime on a large scale. People were too preoccupied with bootleg booze,

Organized crime was popular in the 1920s. There were people like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and Arnold Rothstein taking over the illegal sale of liquor industry. Places like speakeasies were also apart of it. People made lots of money from illegally marketing alcohol. Most organized crime groups focused on smuggling alcohol.

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.

Organized crime is an outcome of prohibition in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. The government was trying to uphold the Volstead Act of 1920, but bootlegging rings continued to grow nationally as well as internationally. The Wickersham Commission of 1930 led to a crackdown on political corruption and began a repetitive prohibition period in which organized crime leaders had a new way to commit crimes and come up with a profit in the end. In the 1930's Lucku Luciano and Louis Leoke Buchalter created a crime group they called the Syndicate which was made up of criminals all across the country and punished anyone who violated their ways. Luciano ended up convicted, Buchalter was executed, and Murder INC was broken down,

“The public reaction to the introduction of prohibition was mixed. Less than one hour after prohibition took effect six gunmen hijacked a train in Chicago and stole over $100,000 worth of whiskey that was marked for medicinal use”. Prohibition led to organized crime. speakeasies, bootleggers, bathtub gin, and “a national wildness called the roaring twenties." Prohibition turned the small gangs that existed in the early 20th century into the powerful mafias that are still around today.

The Italian mafia became prevalent in America during the early 1900’s. A major aspect behind the steady growth of the Italian Mafia in the early 1900’s was the temperance Act passed in 1918, which made the sale of alcohol illegal. The members of the mafia took advantage of alcohol’s loved and addictive nature by selling it on the black market. Selling alcohol is what created the foundation of the mafia’s income and established it financially to expand on its internal and external empire. Its important to note that the Italian Mafia formed before 1918 in Sicily where the members of the mafia are known as Mafioso, which roughly translates to brave men.

This is not the only devastating effect organized crime had on america during the Prohibition. They also caused the government to spend a fortune on trying to contain their ruthless behavior. The bureau of the Prohibition was set up to try and pry control of America's cities back from crime bosses. Law enforcement including agencies such as Coast Guard and Customs had to be revamped. This drove Americas law enforcement expenses up 500% to compensate for the violence and contraband running throughout the country. Even though these changes were made corruption still occurred and crooked officers were common. There corruption of the police was a lasting scarring effect as well. The Prohibition introduced organized crime members and crooked cops thus beginning a relationship that lasts today. All these factors of organized crime destroyed a large part of the economy and safety of Americans. The Prohibition was the main cause of the violent crime outbreak already making the Prohibition have a negative on the American people.

Back then, the Prohibition itself created criminals, is partially to blame for the Mafia, and dangerous alternatives ensued from it. Nowadays, it is not much different: criminals are made, the Cartel has continued to grow, and other dangerous alternative recreation drugs and drinks have been results as well. The Prohibition did not just generate negative outcomes though. In the thirteen year

When one thinks about organized crime, what come to mind? Why do people feel the need to form such criminal groups and networks? Is it due to lack of economic status? Or is it because of the will to receive what one cannot have? There are many reason that can be inserted into reasons why organized crime is formed. The main reason could be money and power. With the everyday innovations of technology, organized crime has been expanded and including as many people as they can in their networks. Some organized crime groups are brought together by ethnic background while other are brought together by the willingness to be included. There are many organized crime groups as of date that are operating from one side of the country all the way back across

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).

Crime figures show that Italy is ranked the 4th highest total crimes amongst the EU states in 2002. Their total is 2.2 million crimes behind the UK(6.52 Million), Germany(6.51 Million) and France(3.8 Million). This means globally they have the highest percentage of crimes, which is 24.5% of its population. (Italy Crime Stats) In the 18th century, organized crime in Italy and its criminal organizations have infiltrated the social and economic life of many regions particularly in Southern Italy. Sicilain Mafia is suposedly the most notorious. They say that this would later expand into some foreign countries including the United States.

Organized crime has a long history in Russia, starting from thievery and banditry done by peasants stealing from each other to mafia groups controlling the government. Even though organized crime in Russia has been alive for a long time, organized crime was shaped by the soviet economy and their government. Furthermore, organized crime sought after the “market demands for goods and services that are illegal, regulated, or simply in short supply”, (Finckenauer, 2004, p.62). Meaning Russian mafia was engaged in activities what today society calls the black market. Actually, while the Soviet Union was in power, products and the action of providing services to someone was in short supply so consequently organized crime groups produced legal goods