Prohibition and crime

1
Prohibition and crime

• America in the 1920s

2
Aims of the lesson

• By the end of this lesson you will
• Understand why prohibition was introduced and
  evaluate its effectiveness
• Analyse the connection between prohibition and
  organised crime

3
Background

• Many prohibition groups had grown prior to WW1
• Broke up families
• Led to crime
• Made workers unreliable
• WW1 brewing of alcohol banned to preserve grain
• Dec 1917 the 18th Amendment to the US
  constitution was passed

4
The 18th Amendment

• Banned the manufacture, transport and sale of
  alcohol
• Came into effect in January 1919
• Millions wanted to drink
• Were prepared to break the law to do so
• Speakeasy private clubs that sold illegal
  alcohol

5
The effects

• Bootleg alcohol smuggled in from Mexico and
  Canada.
• Many speakeasies were gambling dens
• Worst places sold moonshine home made alcohol
  dangerous
• Organised crime had existed before prohibition
  but grew exponentially because of it. Gangster
  took over the sale and distribution of alcohol

6
Organised crime

• Ran gambling dens, fixed races, ran brothels and
  clubs
• Bribed police, judges and officials to overlook
  their activities
• Each gang controlled its own area and were
  untouched by the forces of law and order
• Many businesses had to pay protection money

7
Gang War
8
Gang warfare in Chicago

• Rival gangs fought for control of the city
• St Valentines Day Massacre 1929 7 members of
  the Bugs Moran gang killed by Al Capone's gang.
• No one ever arrested not unusual 400 gang
  related killings in Chicago alone
• People blamed prohibition for the increase in
  gang violence

9
The results

• Prohibition gave gangs money and power
• It made criminals out of millions of ordinary
  Americans made a mockery of the law
• WW1 had made many ordinary men into trained
  killers
• The invention of the motor car made getaways
  easier
• Money meant that police and judges were easy to
  bribe got away with murder