The Significance of Prohibition on the Development of the American Mafia

In the years preceding 1920, America was in a state of disarray. The industrial revolution had finally hit the New World, and in a pursuit of economic and social prosperity, American citizens all over the nation left their small towns for the busy metropolitan life. At the same time, a massive influx of immigrants from Europe arrived in America (Bailey 749). The combination of these two factors contributed to an increase in local crime; dire working conditions …

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