Rise Of The 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

The Sicilian Mafia is a criminal organization that has its origin in Sicily, Italy. They are estimated to have come to existence during the 1800’s. Also known as Cosa Nostra and are mainly located in Sicily, some parts in Italy and America.

The New Mafia refers to style of mafia that became increasingly prevalent in the 1950s. Prior to the New Mafia, the Old Mafia ran their operations with a focus on achieving power in society. They often associated with those in political power, even to the extent of pledging their alliance with a powerful political party in Italy, the Christian Democratic Party (Abadinsky, 2017). In return, their pledge would essentially secure an unofficial position of power within the Italian government.

Organized crime is defined as “a continuing, profit-motivated, criminal enterprise that employs the use of fear, violence, intimidation, and public corruption to meet organizational goals and remain immune from law enforcement” according to Michael Lyman and Gary W. Potter (authors of “Organized Crime” 2004). The clichéd life of a Mafia member was as such: they usually owned a restaurant, were very wealthy, and normally over weight. Most spoke with a strong Italian accent, had multiple women counterparts, and ties on the “inside” with the police force. While some of those may have been true most were quite the opposite. In the beginning the life of the Mafia, made illustrious by the film industry, was one of hardship and pain. Many were just trying to survive and provide for their families much less trying to make some sort

The American underworld reared its head for the first time in the late nineteenth century. Since this time new waves of immigrants to the United States, primarily Italian, have facilitated in the rise of organized crime in America. Italian mafia members treated the workings in America as an extension of the Sicilian mafia rather than a new organization. The immigration of the Lucania family from Italy to the United States would be the cause of one of the most drastic changes in the workings of organized crime. Charles Luciano became the father of the modern American mafia.

La Cosa Nostra Perhaps one of the most poignant moments in American cinema is the closing scene in the film “The Godfather” when Don Vito Corleone’s son Michael takes over his father’s position... and one of the most unforgettable moments, a severed horses’s head lies bloody in a man’s bed. It is this tradition and brutality that characterizes the Mafia, a secret Sicilian society that lives and functions just as much today on American soil as it did and does still in Italy. To understand this organized crime, one must begin to understand how it came to be organized in the first place. During the medieval times in Sicily, Arabs invaded the land and native Sicilians fled and took refuge in the hills. Some of these refugees formed a

Italian Americans began to experience discrimination regarding the “mafia” as early as the 1890s. The stereotype

The mafia has been around since the late twenties and was created by Salvatore Maranzano. All the members of the Mafia are untouchable criminals, any harm brought to them is met with retaliation. The process of joining is met with agreements that involves oaths and blood. The mafia is better than the state because they have a sense of honor, they provide high-quality products to the people who desire them (instead of conducting war on drugs), and will keep you protected. The mafia has been glorified by many despite their reputation of violence, it has inspired filmmakers to make Goodfellas, The Sopranos, and The Godfather. They are successful groups who know what they are doing in business and want money. The mafia cares a lot about their people,

The Castellano Family was from Palermo, Sicily as well. The mafia in Sicily was not well liked by officials in government offices. Benito Mussolini took action on the Mafia and wanted them out of Italy, so he started to arrest individuals and punish them or just assassinate them. After Mussolini did this, the Mafia was pushed to look into other areas to set up and start conducting business else where. So many chose America - Brooklyn, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit (Bruno, para. 2) after the transition from Italy to America, Italian gangs started to merge together and create one which was the Morello Gang, whom was already established and had power. This was one of the most recognizable gangs know in New York and possibly in all of America. After the two main bosses were sent to prison for convictions on counterfeit, the gang unraveled quickly and members went their own way. The gang that was know as Salvatore “Toto” D’Aquila gang, Salvatore branched off on his own and started working with other notable Mafia members which would lead being the largest Italian Gang in New York, and possibly the most powerful.

Most members of law enforcement, anti-mafia NGOs and academic and journalistic analysts insist upon the fact that from the mid-1990’s on up, the anti-mafia fight dramatically slowed down and weakened.(Paoli) The consequence of recent law enforcement accomplishments is that Italian mafia organizations, and particularly Cosa Nostra, are experiencing their most serious crisis since the

The Mafia is a clandestine organization formed by a group of criminals born in Sicily, who exercise their power through blackmail, violence and crime. They fight to obtain the absolute dominion on a thing, generally employing unlawful means. This organization of criminals tries to get control of their criminal activities in an area. In fact, there are data that support the connection of the mafia with drug trafficking networks. The Mafia originated in Italy, but it is widespread in the United States of America.

Originally the Italian Mafia emerged “in response to centuries of Arab and Norman domination in Sicily and southern Italy”; the absence of “landlords” allowed members to control the land and “the livelihood of local peasants” (Powell). After emerging from Arab and Norman rule, the Mafia began to extract payments from the peasants to receive economical and political protection from foreign overlords (Powell). In the late 19th century, “the Sicilian Mafia first immigrated to New Orleans” but they were “suppressed there with limited success”(Waskey). After this initial foray in New Orleans, the Italian Mafia migrated to “New York and Chicago” which allowed them to flourish (Waskey). The mob first arrived in New york in 1860’s and slowly began to gain power and resources through extortion(Powell).

In Sicily, there were often hostile military presences. These military presences were combated by the people who formed the mafia. These mafia

Today the word “mafia” is used to refer to almost any organized crime group, and in some cases is even used to describe groups completely unrelated to crime. However, the traditional meaning of “mafia” is: organized criminal organizations of Italian or Sicilian heritage. In organized crime groups such as the mafia there Is a hierarchy, with higher ranking members making decisions that trickle down to the other members of the family. The mafia is not a single group or gang it is made up of many families that can

The State of Italy was unified in the year 1861 after being ruled by the Spanish, French and Arabs. After the unification of Italy, and industry of violence was born out of Sicily. By this, many people had an idea of the mafia, but the Italian government was in denial thus aiding in the furtherance and continuation of the mafia. It is said that the “mafia” was actually developed from the year 1812 (Dickie, p 51). The state of Italy failed to establish a monopoly or a structure for the violence in Sicily, resulting in the mafia rising to power. Disorder, chaos and crime would eventually rule over the island as the juvenile Italian government attempted to set up itself. In the 1870s, Roman authorities even requested that Sicilian Mafia families help them by following perilous, autonomous criminal groups; in return, authorities would look the other route as the Mafia proceeded with its security squeezes of landowners. The administration trusted this course of action would be transitory, enduring sufficiently yearn for Rome to pick up control; rather, the Mafia tribes extended their