Rise of Crime in the 1920's Essays

Throughout time organized crime has had a prolific impact on the United States and the world as a whole. Specifically in the 1930’s when prohibition was in effect and even after it was repealed. Their was one group that stood out in the midst of all the organized crime of the 1930’s. That group is called the Mafia. The Italian based criminal syndicate was one of the most powerful and influential groups when it came to organized crime in the 1930’s. Their numbers were vast and their powerful reputation concerned the national government at the time. Though it is smaller in numbers today, the Mafia had its time of success and power for organized crime in the 1930’s.

During the 1920s, organised crime was a major issue plaguing federal authorities, as well as the American people. This took place in most big cities across the United States, particularly in Chicago, Illinois, where gangsters such as Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Johnny Torrio dominated all aspects of life. However, at this time, authorities also faced problems from the government through corruption and scandalous actions.

The 1920s was a “time of great criminal activity, with prohibition laws in America and the world in an economic depression” (Nash, 1). Organized criminals such as American mobsters thrived during this time. Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, and John Dillinger were the most well-known of the gangsters at the time, many of the common people looked to these criminals as “heroes”. There were a tremendous amount of people who turned to criminal activity; mostly because jobs were scarce and

One of the reasons why prohibition failed during the 1920’s in the U.S. was due to Americans wanted to drink alcohol anyways and break the law. Secondly, law enforces were corrupted due to being underpaid thus being easily bribed by organized crimes. Even politicians would vote against it, but would still drink in private. Thirdly, government agencies had very few people prohibition agents that were underpaid and also were easily bribed. Fourthly, government wasn’t really ready to enforce any type of laws like prohibition they were still weak. A lot of public officials did not support prohibition. Fifth, the rise of speakeasies, organized crime, gun fights, bootlegging, illegal consumption of alcohol, corruption, and rise of gangsters such

The 1920s was a rebellious, expressionate time in the United States history. During this period, the northern cities, especially Chicago, were flourishing with the evolution of music, poetry and other liberal arts. However, once one looks beyond the intense spirit portrayed by the arts, the existence of many darks is evident. Due to the distinct defiant traits of the people, Prohibition was destined to be a failure. Accordingly, Prohibition left Chicagoans searching for unlawful ways to receive alcohol. This created a remarkable opportunity for gangs, as they were about to discover an invaluable gem: bootlegging . Once gangs in Chicago uncovered the immense amounts of profit they could generate by participating in bootlegging, they raced into competition for business. At the end of this race, two gangs were left with the most power and a tense rivalry: The North Side and the South Side (the

The popular image of the 1920s is of an alcohol soaked, jazz enriched, and senseless society that was full of crime. Morally minded citizens tried to solve the growing problem of drunkenness by pushing their efforts to end this behavior. This crusade gained steam in 1920 when the US outlawed the manufacture and sale of liquor which was amended into the Constitution. What was supposed to end this wild behavior of mindless drinking and crime spawned new economic problems and gang wars in major cities around America. What was known as the prohibition era entrenched a network of organized crime with some of the most notorious minds and of these included the most well-known, Al Capone. Capone began to take over the Chicago area in 1925 as a

Life in the 1920s was reflected by the people and groups that were created as a result of Prohibition and The Great Depression. Al Capone, one of the most notorious gangsters in recorded history, was at the epicenter of organized crime groups that were extremely influential in everyday Chicago life. Throughout the history of the United States, people have immigrated here to live out the American Dream. In the 1920s, the introduction of Prohibition allowed for the creation of people like Alphonse Capone, who lived out a depiction of the American Dream while also going against numerous American regulations.

“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.

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

The first important criminal industry of the 1920's was bootlegging. Bootlegging consisted in illegally supplying or producing liquor. When the prohibition was enforced during the winter of 1920, its original goal was to "lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in

The United States has had its share of economic prosperity, but none as thriving as the 1920s era, labeled the “Roaring Twenties”. The 1920s era saw great political and social change to the United States society. The US economy blossomed, and the nation's total wealth more than doubled in the 1920s era. As a result of this social and political change as well as the success of the economy, transformed many Americans into a "consumer society". The great economic success during the time period also created an excess of money to spend, which was used and spent aimlessly on unnecessary luxuries due to the fact that it was affordable and accessible. During this time period, some freedoms were expanded while others were restricted. Evidence of this is the ratification of the 18th amendment, banning the production and sale of alcohol. Although the purpose of the law was to prevent alcohol related crimes, the 18th amendment created a greater demand for alcohol. Renegades became common, and many people would purchase bootlegged alcohol through illegal manners. Criminals and gangsters viewed the prohibition as a method of making money fast, and created an organized system concentrated on manufacturing and distributing of alcoholic beverages. Organized crime has always been notoriously feared; however, they became successful during the Prohibition era in the 1920s. They established an organized system and evolved into a successful, established, and dangerous organization that

The prohibition was a divided experiment that unintentionally brought organized crime, flourished the presence of speakeasies in America and created a high rise of criminals in America. The backfiring of the prohibition brought America an uprising in organized crime; criminals and the consumption, manufacturing and selling of alcohol became more expensive and profitable to those involved. Silk suits, guns, money and booze were the popular credentials amongst the finest in the bootlegging and mob business. The prohibition had been recognized as an extraordinary business opportunity and was exploited as such. In most major cities, gangs had been stocking up on alcohol in anticipation for the beginning of the ban, leaving them with a guaranteed profit. Alcohol became a keen part of the more urban culture of the 1920s despite the ban. People sought out alcohol at illegal bars, known as speakeasies and through bootlegging. The authorities of the time had earned the reputation of turning a blind eye to the illegal consumption and production of alcohol, for the right price. Gangsters ruled the cities and in most cases, owned their streets. " Bribing government officials was common, and people were increasingly crafty in the way they would hide alcohol such as hollowed out canes, false books and hip flasks. Violence on the streets increased, as did unemployment. " Tim Nash, The Finer Times The prohibition created drastic changes in the way of thinking for the common criminal. The

(Bill Bryson). The twenties was a fast paced fun, loving time, the one problem was no alcohol. With the twenties came the rise of jazz, flappers, different fashions, and prohibition. Jazz, flappers, and different fashions made life enjoyable but, prohibition caused the rise of criminals, who saw the demand for alcohol, and the opportunity to make money, by selling it to average people, along with government officials. Noteworthy criminals helped define the roaring twenties by helping everyday citizens break the law. To understand how this defined the decade, it is important to explore how gangsters provided alcohol to citizens, bribed police and government officials, and made criminals popular.

Implemented in the 1920's, Prohibition made the selling and buying of alcoholic beverages illegal. Rather than improve Americans lives, Prohibition created a multitude of issues. Prohibition was a drastic failure and created more problems for the United States. Because of the lack of public support, people believed in personal choice and thought it was up to them whether or not they wanted to drink. There was a lack of enforcement of Prohibition and there were more "speakeasies" than officers. Many government officials went to speakeasies themselves. The bootlegging industry became very profitable, increasing crime and the number of gangs. Some officials were bribed by gangs as well as politicians and this lead to a corrupt government and

The ban of alcohol allowed for gangsters and mobs to acquire a new field of work for the general public. Gangsters provided, sold and transported alcohol throughout the nation to individuals and speakeasies, providing them with major income and influence. They were able to navigate through authorities with their use of wealth to pay off police and political figures, intimidation factors to scare police and civilians such as solving issues with weapons, and intelligence to outsmart police and other competition that fought for the same territory to operate out of. Gangsters had become untouchable by police and authorities because they were able to solve any problem with money or weapons. Gangster leaders were brilliant at creating ideas at producing profit, and prohibition was cut out for them. The general public called for illicit alcohol that many people were not ready to sober up for potentially the rest of their life. The people bought and the gangsters provided, and suddenly everyone was a common