When people talk about whether the Mafia is truly good or bad, it becomes a controversy. However, in today’s society it is often found to be a pure evil organization. This paper will examine the criminal behaviors of this terrifying organization known as the Mafia, specifically looking at the history of the organization, and how it evolved into a terrorist group. This paper will also argue the form of terrorism that it has become. First, in order to understand the severity and the unlawful nature of the Mafia it is important to know it is defined. Per Dictionary.com, “The Mafia is a hierarchically structured secret organization allegedly engaged in smuggling, racketeering, trafficking in narcotics, and other criminal activities in the U.S., …show more content…
For centuries, Sicily, an island in the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and the Italian mainland, was ruled by a long line of foreign invaders, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, French and Spanish. Sicily’s violent and oppressive history of government and its numerous corrupt and inconsistent rulers (especially in regards to its justice system) nurtured an atmosphere of self-reliance and cooperation among the people. This reliance and respect was induced by fear, instilled by violence and threats, and backed by an organization of family and friends. These groups, which later became known as clans or families, developed their own system for justice and retribution, carrying out their actions in secret. By the 19th century, small private armies known as “mafie” took advantage of the frequently violent, chaotic conditions in Sicily and extorted protection money from landowners. From this history, the Sicilian Mafia emerged as a collection of criminal clans or families (Servadio, …show more content…
Families use a variety of activities to accomplish this. One of the most common is extortion. Extortion is forcing people to give up their money by threatening them in some way (“Extortion,” 2016). Mafia "protection rackets" are extortion schemes. For example, they tell a shop owner that she needs to pay them $200 a week so they can "protect" her from criminals who might destroy the shop or even hurt her family. The Mafia makes money by participating in virtually any activity that is illegal. Illegal goods are expensive, untaxed and unregulated. Over the years, mobsters have dealt in alcohol during Prohibition, illegal drugs, prostitution and illegal gambling. These examples are also a form of terrorism from below. Terrorism from below involves the use of political violence by people who wish to challenge or overthrow official state power (Landis & Theodore, 2013). Terrorist often have foot soldiers to do the dirty work. the bottom-level member of an organized crime Family, as in "foot soldiers." These people often believe since they have sacrificed so much that they deserve an award. They usually steal from the target which is known a form of terrorism from
Thomas Reppetto’s book is a solid account of the events that took place between 1880 and 1995. The events are detailed and contain fact and evidence, he uses first hand knowledge, being a former chicago commander of detectives, Reppetto was well equipped to write this book. In American Mafia, and its rise to power, Reppetto shows the different parts of the mafia and their communication with the police and italian civilians. The book starts off showing the worst part of the mob, or mafia, and how bad they truly are. Using examples like how many people they’ve taken out and how they’d be one of the richest fortune 500 companies, ift was legal. The book also has how the police reacted to the crimes, in chapter one, they take you into the lives
As more and more immigrants began to spread throughout the US, more and more gangs of people began to emerge. Gangs were usually made up of people of a common ethnicity, whether it be Irish, Italian, or Hispanic. These gangs were usually victims of anti-immigrant policies and looked for strength in numbers. As gangs became more and more sophisticated they realized they could make profits from the power they were accumulating. One of the most recognizable examples is the bootlegging of alcohol during the Prohibition. When federal officials attempted to enforce legislation such as the Volstead Act, there was a surge of illegal sales and profits. In 1927, Al Capone and his gang racked up over $60 million from bootlegged alcohol. With all of this money came tons of violence, people were getting murdered in broad daylight just so others could have a sum of all of this wealth. Soon Mob families would own clubs or casinos to increase their wealth. The attendees weren’t only made up of rich mob bosses, the alcohol, dancing, and gambling attracted many ordinary
Organized crime has developed a stigma regarding its power and influence, especially during its hay day in the 1930’s. The mob has always been viewed as a powerful “family-like” organization. In Scarface, Hawkes brings the mafia into a seemingly more realistic light. By overturning Lovo’s position of power, Tony represents the idea of “every man for himself,” within a supposed organized group. The viewer steps into a cut-throat world of power hungry men, all trying to get rich quick. In this world, Hawkes asks, how can you organize men towards any goal if they all seek personal gain?
This “business” aspect of organized crime is what the movie industry has latched on to in the Gangster genre. In Scarface, Tony Camonte is in the business of selling beer to the town watering holes. Of course, he doesn’t so much sell the beer as force it on the bar owners at jacked up prices. And just like any other business, there is competition for dominance in the market. And for this dominance, or rather monopoly, ringleaders do not think twice about taking their competition out – not by buying them out or forcing them into bankruptcy, but by sending a squad out to murder them.
During 1869-2014 the Sicilian mafia in America evolved in a number of ways such as: the change in rules, leaders, how it is run, the change in code and power over American society. These topics will be covered throughout this essay and will give you a detailed explanation of the history of the evolution that took place. The Sicilian Mafia started in poor Sicilian ghettos in America and spread into the cities, striking fear into the American society. With around 2,500 members, it is seen as the most powerful and the most active Italian organized criminal group in the United States of America. The Sicilian mafia is more commonly known as La Cosa Nostra.
The Mafia is a secret criminal organization that has great economic and political control over large parts of Sicilian society and operates both criminal and legitimate enterprises in the United States. It is believed to have started during Sicily's late Middle Ages, beginning as separate bonds of strong-arm enforcers hired by local landowners. It eventually evolved into a network of independent groups governing in rural areas. With the Sicilian immigration of the late 19th century, the Mafia began to operate in several large United States cities. During the period of Prohibition it monopolized the trade in bootleg liquor and controlled loan sharking, gambling, and prostitution. Competing Mafia families established mutually recognized territories, reaching agreement by negotiation or by intimidation. By the mid-1930 the Mafia had taken on the institutionalized structure that is now typical of organized crime in the United States.
The family is part of a nation-wide criminal network known as the “Mafia”, or “Cosa Nostra”. Prior to Carlo Gambino taking over, another individual was the man in charge. His name was Salvatore D’Aquila and was originally a member of another gang. When the leaders were arrested, convicted, and sentenced, D’Aquila realized the gang was in rough shape so he split off to create his own gang in East Harlem, which turned out to be the beginning of the Gambino Family (American Mafia History, 2017).
La Cosa Nostra Perhaps one of the most poignant moments in American cinema is the closing scene in the film “The Godfather” when Don Vito Corleone’s son Michael takes over his father’s position... and one of the most unforgettable moments, a severed horses’s head lies bloody in a man’s bed. It is this tradition and brutality that characterizes the Mafia, a secret Sicilian society that lives and functions just as much today on American soil as it did and does still in Italy. To understand this organized crime, one must begin to understand how it came to be organized in the first place. During the medieval times in Sicily, Arabs invaded the land and native Sicilians fled and took refuge in the hills. Some of these refugees formed a secret society that gave protection to the people in exchange for money. This group took their name, “Mafia” based on the Arabic word for refuge. In America today, one can hear it also be called “La Cosa Nostra”, or “This Thing of Ours.” In the 1700s,Wealthy people would receive a card with a black hand drawn on and if they did not pay the money, they could expect murder, theft, and violence. During the time Mussolini was ruling Italy, this secret society was under heavy persecution and many fled to the United States. “Don (term for the boss or head of a Mafia family) Vito Cascio Ferro fled to the United States in 1901 to escape arrest. He is known as the Father of American Mafia.” (La Cosa Nostra) Many Italian immigrants came to the United States through Ellis Island in New York, which is today the most important center of organized Mafia crime in the United States. The new American Mafia came to power during the Prohibition by organizing the sale of outlawed alcohol, but after Prohibition was revoked, the Mafia needed a new “racket.” During the war, the Mafia got government issued ration stamps and sold them on the black market. These days the Mafia is involved in running prostitution, unions, construction, and gambling. New York, also called the “City that never sleeps,” houses the Five Families of New York. These Families are highly influential and powerful crime families and each holds claim to certain “rackets.” The Five Families are: Gambino, Bonano, Lucchese, Colombo, and Genovese. While all people in the Mafia are required to maintain certain silence about the workings of the Family, a code of silence called “Omerta,” d...
This idea of attitudes shows why a secret society such as the Mafia should luxuriate in Sicily, and could easily be transplanted into the ghettos of the New World. The associates of the Mafia are called fratellos. They are to obey a capo, which they elect. The capo then picks the consigliari (counselors), whom help him to make justice and judgments. When one of the fratellos finds himself in any sort of difficulty, the association tries to help and assist him.
The Mafia is an Italian secret criminal society. The Mafia, or syndicate, impacts cities all around the world. Most of the effects of the Mafia are negative, but there can be several positive effects on the culture and economy of the cities in which it frequents.
In the beginning the Mafia had no centralized organization. It consisted of many small groups. Each of these groups was considered as a district. And, each of these districts, had its own form of government. The Mafia had gained their strong-arm by using scare tactics amongst the people. By using these terroristic methods against peasants who could vote, the Mafia used this upper hand in placing themselves into political offices. They would achieve this in several communities. Using this political power in their advantage, the Mafia was able to gain influence with police authorities and the ability to obtain legal access to weapons.
According to the FBI, organized crime is consisting of Russian Mobs that fled to the U.S., groups that are engaging in drug trafficking and scams from African countries and Enterprises based in Eastern European nations like Romania. Many groups have started using the in...
Approximately 5.3 million Italians immigrated from Italy of that only twenty percent of them were from Sicily. The reason for all of these Sicilians moving from Italy to America was because of poverty, inflation, increasing population growth rate, and an anti-Mafia campaign. By the beginning of the 20th century the amount of Sicilians in New York was about eighty percent of 500,000 Italians. Some of the Sicilian Mafia groups had formed, one was “The Black Hand” they were involved with the regular crimes like kidnapping, gambling, and extortion. The black hand was comprised of gangs that were Sicilian only.
Along with upholding their own system of law, groups would now focus on earning money as well. Several of these members got involved in bootlegging during the time of Prohibition and would illegally sell alcohol. Other various crimes Mafia families were involved in included loan-sharking, prostitution, and bribery. Members would bribe jurors, politicians, and officials. They attempted to infiltrate and even control various labor unions.
The mafia is actually a lot more complex than this, with its own hierarchy and customs. The original Sicilian Mafia in Italy was just a group of families controlling various territories and parcels of land. These