Prohibition and Gangsters (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
Prohibition and Gangsters
The introduction of Prohibition
Historians have debated extensively the impact of Prohibition on American society. During the nineteenth century, numerous reform groups advocated banning alcohol on moral grounds. Their campaign contributed to the introduction of Prohibition in the USA in 1919, which President Herbert Hoover termed the noble experiment. The policy generated as many problems as it aimed to solve, particularly by encouraging the growth of gangsters and organized crime.
The term "noble experiment" reflected the idealistic vision behind Prohibition - the belief that banning alcohol would create a more moral, productive, and harmonious society. However, the reality proved far more complex, as the policy's unintended consequences often outweighed its intended benefits.
Why was Prohibition introduced?
The movement to prohibit alcohol stretched back to the nineteenth century, when various groups championed the idea for moral reasons. Organizations including the Women's Temperance Association and the Anti-Saloon League campaigned against the damaging effects of excessive drinking. Momentum built during the early twentieth century, with 26 states passing laws limiting alcohol sales by the time war broke out in 1914.
Female reformers had argued for years that clear connections existed between alcohol consumption and wife beating and child abuse. Industrialists, including Henry Ford, expressed concerns that drinking reduced efficiency and output at work. Many religious groups identified alcohol as the root of sin and evil values in American society. Prohibition was presented as a means to enhance traditional values, encouraging people to work hard and live thriftily.
America's participation in the First World War generated crucial additional support for the policy. Many brewers were of German origin, and Prohibition was framed as patriotic. As anti-German sentiment intensified in the USA, beer consumption was portrayed as a betrayal of the nation, with beer earning the nickname 'Kaiser's brew'. This wartime nationalism proved decisive in pushing through the Prohibition legislation.
In 1918, President Wilson banned beer production until the war ended. In January 1919, the Prohibition Amendment, which prohibited the 'manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors', was ratified by Congress. This became known as the Volstead Act when it took effect in 1920.
Why did Prohibition fail?
Prohibition failed to eliminate alcohol consumption; instead, it drove drinkers underground. Vast numbers of Americans were prepared to break the law not only to produce alcohol but to visit private bars to consume it. Within a short period after Prohibition's introduction, more speakeasies existed than there had been legal saloons. In New York alone, over 30,000 speakeasies operated. Prohibition represented a classic instance of unenforceable legislation.
What was a speakeasy?
A speakeasy was an illegal drinking establishment that operated in secret during Prohibition. The name came from the practice of speaking quietly about such places in public, or when inside, so as not to alert the police. These establishments ranged from dingy basement bars to elaborate nightclubs, and they became central to urban social life in the 1920s.
Geographical challenges
One major obstacle was the geographical difficulty of enforcing Prohibition. The USA possessed 18,700 miles of coastline and land border, making it extremely difficult to prevent smuggling. This proved so successful that by 1925, agents intercepted only approximately five per cent of alcohol entering the country illegally.
Inadequate enforcement
The Internal Revenue Service, established to enforce Prohibition, never employed more than 2,500 agents, and some became paid associates of gang leaders. Between 1920 and 1930, approximately ten per cent of Prohibition agents were fined for corruption, with many more escaping prosecution.
The Enforcement Crisis
The scale of the enforcement challenge was staggering. With only 2,500 agents responsible for monitoring 18,700 miles of borders and policing millions of Americans, effective enforcement was mathematically impossible. This under-resourcing, combined with widespread corruption, meant that Prohibition was doomed to fail from the outset. The policy criminalized ordinary citizens while proving unable to stop the very behavior it sought to prevent.
Bootlegging and cultural change
Many individuals, known as bootleggers, entered business as producers and distributors of illegal alcohol, often called moonshine because it was manufactured in remote areas by moonlight. As the 1920s advanced, the national mood shifted. For many Americans, particularly urban residents, enjoying themselves became life's primary aim. Illegal drinking in gangster-run speakeasies became extremely popular in urban areas.
The end of Prohibition
By the early 1930s, clear and mounting opposition to Prohibition had emerged. In 1928, Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith advocated abolishing Prohibition. However, Hoover, who defeated Smith in the election, established the Wickersham Commission to investigate the policy. The Commission reported that enforcement was impossible but recommended continuing Prohibition. Roosevelt, Hoover's successor, finally abolished the measure in 1933.
The decision to end Prohibition came during the Depression, with many believing that if Prohibition were removed, the legal brewing industry would create employment. People would pay increased taxes and duties, helping combat Depression effects. This economic argument proved decisive, as the government desperately needed new sources of tax revenue and job creation during the worst economic crisis in American history.
Was Prohibition a total failure?
Prohibition produced mixed effects for Americans, generating both benefits and serious problems.
Benefits of Prohibition
Deaths from alcoholism had fallen by 80 per cent by 1921. Male deaths from cirrhosis of the liver declined from 29.5 per 100,000 in 1911 to 10.7 per 100,000 in 1929. Prohibition reduced the number of people killed on roads, and the incidence of drink-related accidents at work also fell. Alcohol consumption dropped from an average of 2.6 gallons per person in the years before 1917 to one gallon by the 1930s. Arrests for drunkenness fell.
Public Health Improvements: The Statistical Evidence
The health benefits of Prohibition were measurable and significant:
Step 1: Alcoholism deaths
- Reduction of 80% by 1921
- This represented thousands of lives saved annually
Step 2: Cirrhosis mortality
- 1911: 29.5 deaths per 100,000 males
- 1929: 10.7 deaths per 100,000 males
- 64% reduction in cirrhosis deaths
Step 3: Consumption patterns
- Before 1917: 2.6 gallons per person annually
- By 1930s: 1.0 gallon per person annually
- 62% reduction in overall consumption
These statistics demonstrate that, despite its failures, Prohibition did achieve some of its intended public health goals.
Shortcomings of Prohibition
Approximately 50,000 people died from poisoned alcohol, and doctors reported an increase in deaths. Prohibition helped create organized crime. Between 1927 and 1930 alone, 227 gang murders occurred in Chicago with only two killers convicted. Some historians argue that without Prohibition, such large criminal gangs would not have developed initially. Illegal drinking made criminals of a substantial percentage of the population. The brewing industry suffered badly due to Prohibition. St Louis, for instance, had 22 breweries before Prohibition, but only nine re-opened after Prohibition ended in 1933.
The Deadly Paradox
While Prohibition saved lives through reduced alcohol-related deaths, it simultaneously killed approximately 50,000 people through poisoned alcohol. This occurred because illegal manufacturers used dangerous industrial alcohol, methanol, and toxic additives. The government even deliberately poisoned industrial alcohol to deter consumption, leading to thousands of deaths. This tragic irony highlighted the policy's fundamental failure - it replaced regulated, safe alcohol with dangerous, uncontrolled alternatives.
Contemporary assessment
Evidence from 1926 illustrates the controversy. New York politician Fiorello LaGuardia told the Senate Judiciary Hearings Committee:
"It is impossible to tell whether Prohibition is a good thing or a bad thing. It has never been enforced. At least a million quarts of liquor are consumed each day in the United States. I believe that the percentage of whisky drinkers in the United States is now greater than in any country in the world. Prohibition is to blame for this. A billion dollars a year is being lost to the federal government and the state in lost customs duties. The money goes instead into the pockets of bootleggers and corrupt public officials."
LaGuardia's testimony captured the central problem: Prohibition had created a massive illegal industry that enriched criminals while depriving the government of revenue. His claim that America had become the world's leading nation of whisky drinkers despite (or because of) Prohibition revealed the policy's spectacular failure to achieve its goals.
Gangsters and organized crime
Criminal gangs existed in the USA before Prohibition. However, Prohibition unquestionably led to enormous growth in gangsters and crime. Mobsters controlled territories by force and established monopolies in the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Gangs operated hundreds of breweries and transported liquor in armoured lorries. Gang leaders saw themselves as businessmen and, when confronted with competition, took over their rivals. However, these takeovers were often executed violently and typically ended with the opposition's murder.
Gangs also became involved in rackets including protection, prostitution and 'numbers' (illegal lottery). Gangsters easily controlled politicians. 'Big Bill' Thompson, Mayor of Chicago, did little or nothing to control gangster activities in his city. Al Capone was the most notorious of the gangsters. When Capone finally went to jail in 1932 for income tax evasion, it was estimated that his gang had made over $70 million worth of illegal business.
Prohibition's Criminal Legacy
Without Prohibition, the enormous criminal empires of the 1920s would likely never have developed. The policy handed organized crime a lucrative monopoly worth billions of dollars in today's money. These gangs used their wealth to corrupt law enforcement, intimidate witnesses, and expand into other criminal activities. The violence and corruption that characterized the era can be directly traced to Prohibition's creation of a massive black market in alcohol.
Key figure: Al Capone
The son of Italian immigrants, Al Capone left school at an early age and became involved in small-time criminal activities. He received the nickname 'Scarface' following a fight when he worked as a bouncer at a New York club. He eventually succeeded John Torrio, who had run the illegal alcohol business in Chicago. Capone soon established his position as one of Chicago's leading gangsters by bribing local officials. He controlled the mayor and senior police officers and was able to fix local elections. He also controlled speakeasies, gambling houses, brothels, nightclubs, distilleries and breweries.
Capone was also a man of violence. He built up an army of 700 gangsters who committed over 300 murders in Chicago. On 14 February 1929, five of his men dressed as policemen arrested seven of the rival 'Bugs Moran' gang and machine-gunned them to death. This became known as the St Valentine's Day Massacre. Capone himself was in Florida with the perfect alibi.
The St Valentine's Day Massacre: 14 February 1929
This event epitomized the violence of Prohibition-era gangster warfare:
The Setup:
- Five of Capone's men disguised themselves as police officers
- They entered a garage where the rival 'Bugs Moran' gang was meeting
- The fake "arrest" appeared legitimate to the victims
The Execution:
- Seven members of the Moran gang were lined up against a wall
- They were machine-gunned to death in cold blood
- The killers escaped, never to be convicted
The Aftermath:
- Capone was in Florida with a perfect alibi
- The massacre shocked the nation and demonstrated the brutal reality of gang warfare
- Despite 227 gang murders in Chicago between 1927-1930, only two killers were ever convicted
- This single incident became the most infamous symbol of Prohibition-era violence
Despite his criminal activities, Capone was seen by many as a glamorous person. He moved in the highest social circles and was the first to open soup kitchens after the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
Key Points to Remember:
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Prohibition was introduced in 1919 due to pressure from female reformers, industrialists, religious groups, and wartime patriotism, but it proved impossible to enforce effectively.
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The policy failed because of geographical enforcement challenges (18,700 miles of borders), inadequate resources (only 2,500 agents), widespread corruption (10% of agents fined), and the proliferation of speakeasies (over 30,000 in New York alone).
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Prohibition had mixed effects: it reduced alcoholism deaths by 80% and lowered consumption, but it also caused 50,000 deaths from poisoned alcohol and helped create powerful organized crime networks.
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The policy was abolished in 1933 during the Depression, with arguments that legal brewing would create jobs and generate tax revenue to help combat economic hardship.
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Prohibition's most damaging legacy was the enormous growth of organized crime, with gangsters like Al Capone building criminal empires worth over $70 million through illegal alcohol, violence, and political corruption.
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The St Valentine's Day Massacre (14 February 1929) became the most notorious symbol of Prohibition-era violence, when Capone's men, disguised as police, murdered seven rival gang members.