Control Of The Illegal Alcohol Industry example essay topic

The gangsters turned Prohibition into a million dollar industry. The 1920's saw a rapid increase in the American crime rate. This was mostly due to the illegal liquor trade that had been developed to overcome Prohibition, led by the gangsters. There were the bootleggers, smugglers, moon shiners and gangsters. They were all fighting to supply the public with what they wanted.

The most famous gangster was Alphonse 'Scarface' Capone. In 1929, Al Capone's income from his businesses were $60,000,000 for illegal alcohol, $25,000,000 for gambling establishments, $10,000,000 for chief and $10,000,000 from other things. He had many expenses and it's said that he spent $75 million bribing politicians and policemen. Capone and his group were fighting using the new formula, using the weight, power and fear of weapons tried and proved in the Great War. They used pistols, machine-guns and shotguns to get rid of anyone that got in their way and were hardly ever arrested. The most famous gang feud event that occurred during Prohibition was probably the St Valentine's Day Massacre on February 14th 1929 when Capone's gang brought down the entire Bug's Moran gang, their Irish rivals.

227 rival gangsters were killed in four years, and he cleverly prevented himself from being caught by very careful planning and intimidating any witnesses. Al Capone's gang and the others were not only involved in bootlegging but also in racketeering. Businessmen and shopkeepers had to pay protection money to gangsters to prevent their properties being smashed up by the gangsters. As the profits from all these illegal activities rolled in, Al Capone acquired more assurance and was very clever, he managed his gang, the public, the police, the politicians and by 1925 he had gained complete control of the suburb of Cicero and had installed his own mayor in office. Many people had a very negative opinion of Capone since he crushed all opposition, but amazingly Capone became a star. Every newspaper had a Capone reporter like they had a White House reporter.

He gave flashy press conferences with the appearance of a regular businessman, providing a service to the public. The gangsters played a major role in almost everybody's lives, and there were magazine articles and films all about them. Al Capone captivated the public. He appeared on the front page of Time, in 1930. He was of celebrity status. Society attended abundant cocktail parties thrown by him and called him.

He donated money to charity and helped the homeless. He was powerful. He had taken control of the illegal alcohol industry and much more. Although he was recognized as a celebrity, most people were also very scared of him. Prohibition had got out of hand, and it was obvious that the 18th Amendment had been unsuccessful. The participation of gangsters in the illegal alcohol industry was definitely a major reason why it failed; it is also linked directly to public support and enforcement.

The gangsters took control of the alcohol industry and everyone involved with it. The gangsters were so rich, powerful and violent that they could get almost anyone to do whatever they wanted; including people with authority, so in they took over the USA, or at least the urban areas.