Was the Rise in Organised Crime the Most Serious Consequence of Prohibition?
Was the rise in Organised Crime the Most Serious Consequence of Prohibition?
Prohibition was the ban on the manufacture, transport and sale of alcoholic beverages over 0.5%. The 18th amendment to the constitution allowed for the Volstead Act to be passed, which made these actions illegal. Prohibition was introduced in 1920 and lasted 13 years. However, during that time, there were many consequences that affected America’s law enforcement and economy; one of those consequences being the huge rise in organised crime.
Al Capone was one of the main gangsters of 1920’s America. He, along with others, was able to gain huge profits by transporting and selling alcohol. They were able to do this because of the huge demand for alcohol now that it could not be sold in regular bars and saloons. This organised transportation and selling of illegal beverages also provided easy employment for immigrants looking for a quick and profitable job. However, the distribution of alcohol was not the only law the gangsters were happy to break. They also committed a huge amount of assassinations against people who they thought were plotting against them or were going to turn them in. Al Capone alone killed approximately 300 people. The illegal distribution of alcohol and the rise in murder cases were definitely very serious consequences of Prohibition. However, without the huge demand for alcohol, would these gangsters have been so successful?
This links to another effect of Prohibition, being that it turned ordinary people into criminals. Many usual law-abiding citizens had now been criminalized simply for having a small afternoon drink. This also made them believe that the gangsters were providing a valuable public service by manufacturing and selling alcohol to them. This inevitably led to a huge demand for alcohol throughout the U.S, allowing gangsters to make equally huge profits. It also introduced a trust and respect for the alcohol suppliers, as if the American citizens were
Prohibition was the ban on the manufacture, transport and sale of alcoholic beverages over 0.5%. The 18th amendment to the constitution allowed for the Volstead Act to be passed, which made these actions illegal. Prohibition was introduced in 1920 and lasted 13 years. However, during that time, there were many consequences that affected America’s law enforcement and economy; one of those consequences being the huge rise in organised crime.
Al Capone was one of the main gangsters of 1920’s America. He, along with others, was able to gain huge profits by transporting and selling alcohol. They were able to do this because of the huge demand for alcohol now that it could not be sold in regular bars and saloons. This organised transportation and selling of illegal beverages also provided easy employment for immigrants looking for a quick and profitable job. However, the distribution of alcohol was not the only law the gangsters were happy to break. They also committed a huge amount of assassinations against people who they thought were plotting against them or were going to turn them in. Al Capone alone killed approximately 300 people. The illegal distribution of alcohol and the rise in murder cases were definitely very serious consequences of Prohibition. However, without the huge demand for alcohol, would these gangsters have been so successful?
This links to another effect of Prohibition, being that it turned ordinary people into criminals. Many usual law-abiding citizens had now been criminalized simply for having a small afternoon drink. This also made them believe that the gangsters were providing a valuable public service by manufacturing and selling alcohol to them. This inevitably led to a huge demand for alcohol throughout the U.S, allowing gangsters to make equally huge profits. It also introduced a trust and respect for the alcohol suppliers, as if the American citizens were