La prohibition

The prohibition

It is at the beginning of the XIXth century that emerges in the United States a movement of reform engaged in the fight against alcoholism. Little by little, the movement in favor of prohibition reached the governments. In 1916, the prohibition of alcohol was already part of the legislation of 26 states out of 49, then in 1919, the 18th amendment to the Constitution, generalized the prohibition of alcohol to the whole Union. The manufacture, purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages were now illegal.

The implementation of prohibition divided the country in two. A part of America, conservative and attached to puritanism, fights for prohibition. Opposite it, a more progressive America, eager to party and have fun, actively fought against prohibition.

Prohibition was also something that led to an economic crisis and unemployment, as most distilleries closed.

The federal government struggled to enforce prohibition, as smuggling developed as soon as the law was put in place. This is carried by the smugglers who set up a lucrative black market. If the poor rural populations were reduced to distilling their spirits in their clandestine stills, the urban bourgeoisie rushed to the new generation of clandestine saloons, more discreet, difficult to access and reserved for a wealthy clientele. George Remus was a famous alcohol trafficker, who earned a fortune during the prohibition. He elaborated many strategies to maintain his traffic as well as possible.

It was then difficult for the government and the FBI to fight against the smuggling dominated by gangs: the mafia networks quickly took over this lucrative market, they now control the alcohol and drug trade, prostitution and gambling. The most famous one is Al Capone, who had a meteoric rise in Chicago in the early 1920s, when Prohibition was introduced. He built an empire of illegal gambling dens and brothels that made him immensely rich and famous.

It can be seen that the mafia lost the support of popular opinion during the famous Valentine's Day massacre on February 14, 1929, when Al Capone decided to have six members of a rival gang massacred. He was finally convicted of tax evasion in 1931. As for prohibition, it ended in 1933, following the economic crisis of 1929.

Prohibition was therefore an experiment qualified as a failure, as it led to an increase in unemployment and illegal trafficking. The mafia, through Al Capone, reached its peak during this period, considerably reducing the power of the government. The latter quickly saw that the consumption of alcohol could bring in a lot of money, which is why President Roosevelt abolished prohibition.

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