Causes Of Organized Crime In The 1930s

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Recommended: Al capone change in society

Ricky Zorce
Mrs. Day
5th Period - Honors Lit
29 April 2014
Organized Crime of the 1930s
America saw a dramatic increase of crime during the 1930s. With various causes and gangsters, the United States was no longer a safe haven in the world. Organizations such as the FBI were formed during this time period, as well as the establishment of a world famous prison. Crime in the 1930s was much like it is today, yet had a bigger impact on that era.
To start off, there were two main causes of crime during this time period. The Prohibition era was one of the main causes of organized crimes. Prohibition was the 18th Amendment that banned any alcoholic beverages from being sold or used in the United States. This amendment began a whole crime system known as bootlegging. People saw this as a chance to make money during a time when the economy was awful which leads us to the second reason. The second reason was the Great Depression. When the stock market fell in 1929, many people were laid off work, and little to no jobs were available. In order to supply for their families, people started robbing banks and other things to make money. This increased crimes drastically because of all the people that needed money. To sum it all up, two large things contributed to the crime in the 1930s.
A big part of this time period were the gangsters themselves. The most infamous of them all was Al Capone. Capone was the head of a group called the Chicago Outfit. Capone did not personally commit crimes, but he looked over them, and plotted them. It was said that Capone was worth 100 million dollars in 1930. Capones most famous crime was the Valentine’s Day Massacre where Capone hired people to kill rival gang members. Al Capone became so notorious that a mo...

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...rded. Alcatraz is now used as a tourist hotspot.
In all, the 1930s was a great time for criminals, but a hassle for the law enforcers. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it shows the impact of the economic fall. Jem and Scout live in a time period where the majority of crimes happened, however, since they lived in Alabama, they were not as affected. Most crimes happened in the midwest. A decade of crimes led to a 9.8% murder rate, and left many people scarred and worried about their protection. It also reversed the 18th amendment which prohibited alcohol after the government realized many people without a criminal record were being charged with the use of alcohol, and if the government took away the gangsters abilities to make a bootleg system, it would also lower the crimes. After all that America went through during the 1930s, the gangsters impacts are not to be forgotten.

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