how did prohibition contribut to the formation of organized crime?

Question

how did prohibition help organized crime?

Answer 1

well my great grandfather got into organized crime in NYC during prohibition.... anytime something that is demanded is made illegal people will attempt to get it illegally. this drives up demand and people can charge more for it. think about cocaine or pot now... very lucrative business... same think with booze during the prohibition times.

Answer 2

Prohibition didnt lead to more people drinking. It just led to more crime, because people who wanted to drink would find a way to get the alcohol.
There were massive groups and networks formed for the manufacturing, sale, and transportation of alcohol, because after all, the DRINKING of it was not the illegal part. They became so good at it, that it led to organized crime in other forms.

Answer 3

It gave them a very lucrative product that was in high demand to sell at great profit. With the money came power both on the streets and politicaly.
It's much the same today with illeagle drugs. When prohibititon was implemented we got gangsters and drive by shootings. We have a prohibition on other drugs and we got the same thing.

Answer 4

To make a complicated answer simple, it gave the mob another cash cow because demand was very very high, but supply was virtually nonexistant. If you put those things together you're going to get a black market regardless of the product, whether it be booze or Tickle Me Elmo. The mafia was able to control this black market and made millions off of it.

Answer 5

Certainly all of the above, but it also contributed to gov't. and police corruption. The head of the vice squad in Boston was shaking down bars. If a bar paid him off, when they raided the joint, all the bottles would be poured down special sinks which drained into barrels in the basement. Separate barrels for each kind of booze.

Answer 6

People wanted beer and such and it was illegal, but there was an arbitrage opportunity to make money by selling it thus producing a black market economy. As that money grew so did power and crime it is that simple.

Answer 7

It forced those that wanted to keep selling alcohol to work together so they could evade the law.

In order to avoid being caught, they had to have multiple levels of people to keep the system going. They all had to be unified in purpose and working as a team.

Answer 8

Booze was illegal, so people made $$$ off smuggling it in or secretly manufacturing it in the US, and selling it.
Along with selling booze, $$$ was made off other illegal industries, such as prostitution.

People did not care about what was illegal. They did not want the government to set their moral standards.

People were willing to pay for what they wanted, legal or not.

Answer 9

there were organized crime syndicates in place by that time it just gave them a way to make more money and get more power

Answer 10

The government outlawed and forcefully prevented a product that society wanted so outlaws provided the product to society through nefarious means and threat of violence.