Origins Of The Camorra During The French Revolution

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The Camorra The Camorra is an organised crime group active in Campania, mainly in its capital, Napels. The Camorra has managed to reveal very little about its origins. Some researchers argue that the Camorra’s history goes back to the early 16th century and that it is a direct descendant from the Spanish organised crime group: ‘the Garduna’. Other researches claim that the members of the Camorra were “a new type of lazzaroni” which is a word used to describe a very poor common thief. As Naples grew in size as well as in wealth, the lazzaroni started working together with family members and formed small clans. Yet, a far more likely explanation for the origins of the Camorra is that it grew out of the Neapolitan society during the French Revolution. One thing that we do know for a fact is ‘that throughout the centuries, there is evidence of small criminal gangs operating in Calabria.’ (Beham, 1996) All of these criminal gangs appeared among the poorer part of the population. This were often illiterate people, which makes it extra difficult to find out what kind of organisation, if any, the Camorra emerged from. Additionally, in 1656, the plague led to 60% of the city’s population either dying or leaving the city (Scasciamacchia, 2012). These institutional and historical conditions have most likely had an effect on the rise of the Camorra. However, just like with the Cosa Nostra, the conditions can not explain the rise of the Camorra on its own as most of these conditions were experienced elsewhere as

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