Prohibition

Prohibition was encouraged by the development of the temperance movement that drinking alcohol damaged American society that developed in the 1920s.

Before this period of prohibition, alcohol was quite popular due to the workers after the First World War. Religious institutions and progressives were strongly opposed to the consumption of alcohol because of good morals. Women's associations also fought against alcohol consumption to fight against violent alcoholic husbands, thus fracturing American society.

In January 1919, the 18th amendment was ratified, which prohibited, from 1920, all production, sale or consumption of alcohol, thus marking the culmination of the temperance movement.

However, the period of prohibition did not have the expected effect since there was an increase in organized crime with the multiplication of mafias, particularly in the city of Chicago, organized by John Torrio into five families.

The illicit sale and trafficking of alcohol has increased sharply with the secret bar organization.

One of the most striking manifestations of this rise in crime is the Chicago massacre of 1929 perpetuated by Al Capone.

A commission reported that Prohibition was failing since the police officers to enforce this prohibition were not numerous enough and too easy to buy.

Due to rising crime and the need for the state to recover liquor taxes, Congress ended Prohibition in February 1933.

After several years, prohibition failed in North America and elsewhere. Rum-running or bootlegging became widespread, and organized crime took control of the distribution of alcohol. Distilleries and breweries in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean flourished as their products were either consumed by visiting Americans or illegally exported to the United States. Detroit and Chicago became notorious as havens for prohibition dodgers during the time known as the Roaring Twenties - 75% of all alcohol smuggled into the United States crossed the Detroit-Windsor border.[8] Prohibition generally came to an end in the late 1920s or early 1930s in most of North America and Europe, although a few locations continued prohibition for many more years.

In some countries where the dominant religion forbids the use of alcohol, the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited or restricted today. For example, in Saudi Arabia and Libya alcohol is banned; in Pakistan and Iran it is illegal with exceptions.[9]

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