Prohibition

By: Belén Irazusta, Juan Ignacio López Vargas, Antonia Flores Piran and Joaquín Diaz Walker

Why was Prohibition introduced?

- Rural areas of the USA there was a big “temperance” movement- They agreed not to drink alcohol and to get others to give up alcohol.- Main movements: Anti-Saloon League and the Women`s Christians

Temperance Union.(they persuade the government to prohibit the sale of alcohol)

- The campaign gathered pace, they became a national campaign to prohibit alcohol. They became known as “dries”

- When USA went to the WW1, drinkers were accused of being unpatriotic cowards

- Saloons were seen as dens of vice that destroyed family life- the “Eighteenth Amendment”

How was prohibition enforced- Prohibition lasted from1920 to 1933- Levels of alcohol consumption fell by about 3o% in the early 1920s- Prohibition gained widespread approval in rural areas but in urban areas

wasn’t popular- Government arrested the offenders- The most famous agents: Isadore Einstein and his deputy Moe Smith(diaz)

Supply and demand- Work of agents- Biggest drawback- Bootleggers- Al Capone-Speakeasy.Al Capone`s view:”Prohibition is a business. All I do is supply a public demand”- Illegal stills or speakeasy - Izzy Einstein filed a report to his superiors on how easy it was to find alcohol after

arriving in a new cityChicago: 21 minutesAtlanta: 17 minutesPittsburg: 11 minutesNew Orleans: 35 seconds- People made their own illegal whisk – moonshine. Alcohol frequently poisonous.- Captain McCoy(Finest Scotch Whisky)

Corruption- Prohibition led to massive corruption- officers involved with the liquor trade- Breweries were in the Prohibition era- They bribed local government officers, agents and police- When arrests were made, it was difficult to get convictions because more

senior officers or even judges were in the pay of the criminals- One of twelve agents were dismissed for corruption.

Chicago and the gangsters- Gangsters sale illegal alcohol.- The bootlegger George Remus did well from the trade.- Gangsters came from immigrant backgrounds- Dan O`Banion, Pete and Vince Guizenberg and Lucky Luciano were some

of the most powerful gangster.

- George remus Lucky Luciano

- The Gangs fought viciously with each other to control the liquor trade and also the prostitution.

- They made use of new technology , especially automobiles and the Thompson sub-machine gun. It was very powerful and it could be carried around and hidden under an overcoat.

- (in 1926 and 1927 ) A lot of deaths and not one arrest.

- Gangsters operated all over the USA, but they were most associated with Chicago

- Gangster boss Al Capone (Al Capone took his over and proved to be a formidable gangland boss)

- Johnny Torio- Al Capone built a huge network of corrupt officials among Chicago`s

police, local government, etc- William Hale Thompson- He killed two of his own men whom he suspected- By 1929 Al Capone destroyed the power of the other Chicago gangs,

commenting 300 murders in the process.- St Valentine`s Day Massacre.

Why was prohibition ended- St Valentine`s Day (Gangsters graduated from murder to masacre)- “The noble experiment”(It failed)It had made Usa lawless, Police corrupt, and gangsters powerful and rich-1930 depression-Prohibition repealedFranking D Rosevelt

HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

By,Antonia Flores PiranJuani Lopez Vargas

Belen Irazustaand

Joaquin Diaz Walker