Sicilian Mafia Research Paper

The Sicilian mafia is an adult crime organization that started out on the island of Sicily and has evolved throughout its existence. The origins of the Sicilian mafia can be traced back to monetary opportunity, the Sicilian government structure, economic status and specific strategic geographic locations.

The Sicilian mafia was originally comprised of several disorganized groups within the isolated and rugged terrain of western feudal Sicily during the nineteenth century (Buonanno, Durante, Prarolo, & Vanin, 2012). This part of the island was the primary source of the exports of citrus fruits and sulfur reserves, which were becoming increasingly more popular at the time (Buonanno, et al., 2012). Due to the nature of this terrain, it was

inaccessible to local law enforcement agents and was prone to having criminals sabotage the production and transportation of the exports (Buonanno, et al., 2012). The amalgamation of the lack of law enforcement and the rise in crime lead to the creation of a market for protection. The socio-economic structure of Sicily at the time allowed the lower class of the “immobile class system” to be hired to manage the property of aristocrat owners while they were away (Britz & Grennan, 2006, p.30). The combination of a lack of official law enforcement, low economic status, and the need for protection resulted in the use of violence. This use of violence helped the lower class establish their own judicial system or brand of “justice” as an “unofficial agency of social control” (Britz, et al., 2006, p. 31). An additional benefit for the mafia during this time is once they obtained power there was no law enforcement to disrupt it due to the geographical location. The Sicilian mafia then proceeded to expand their enterprise beyond the use of violence and into monetary ventures.
The Sicilian mafia realized that they could make more money by playing both sides of the table. The mafia began to extort and fine both peasants and aristocrats (Britz, et al., 2006). The mafia then evolved from the protection of an aristocrat’s property to creating monopolies by restricting the production of the competition (Buonanno, et al., 2012). The mafia also started to work with the criminals that disrupted the production and distribution of the exports in order to maintain a market for protection (Buonannon, et al., 2012). However, this expansion of the mafia did not last forever.
The mafia ran into problems when Sicily switched from a feudalist state to a fascist state under Mussolini.

Once Mussolini was in power he tried to “purge” the mafia (Britz, et al., 2006, p.31). This purge by Mussolini lead to the breakdown of the Neopolitan camorra while the Sicilian mafia managed to survive (Britz, et al., 2006). The camorra never recovered and are “relatively powerless” today (Britz, et al., 2006, p.30). However, Mussolini’s purge failed in multiple ways. The first being that the mafia rose back into power after Mussolini left office due to the same reason they originally rose to power, lack of social order. While in office Mussolini failed to provide “government policy and social order” (Britz, et al., 2006, p. 31). The second failure of Mussolini’s purge was that the mafia once again adapted and became more organized. An additional failure of the purge is that mafia members fled Sicily to the United States (Britz, et al., 2006). Once in the United States there was a consistent reason for members joining La Cosa Nostra (LCN) in America, just as there was in Sicily. Generally people that joined LCN in America came from “an impoverished or working-class background” which was similar to the lower socio-economic class background of Sicilian LCN members (Britz, et al., 2006, p. 33). After the American faction of the Italian mafia was established, they proceeded to evolve just like the Sicilians did. The American mafia was more subtle than that of the

Sicilian mafia. The American mafia relied on “economic persuasion” to corrupt public officials as opposed to attacking them as the Sicilian mafia would (Britz, et al., 2006, p. 33). The history of the mafia would repeat itself, only this time it would be in America rather than Italy. There was an abrupt flood of Italian mafia members into America, and they would seek out power just as they did in their beginnings in Italy.
The Volstead Act of 1919 that is otherwise known as the Prohibition Act was an act that prohibited the sale, transportation, and manufacture of alcoholic beverages.

This act enabled the American mafia to grow in power by the mafia producing profits from bootlegging booze across America. Through these profits the American mafia produced an “economic foundation” that has helped them “flourish to this day” (Britz, et al., 2006, p. 29). The American mafia’s pursuit of power and money did not stop there. Several decades later the American mafia would team up with the Sicilian mafia in the drug trafficking of heroin. This occurrence would come to be known “the Pizza Connection” because the heroin was being smuggled through New York pizzerias (Britz, et al., 2006). This case struck a blow to both the Sicilian mafia and the American mafia when high ranking officials from both sides went to

prison.
In conclusion the Sicilian mafia is a criminal organization that has survived and evolved through Mussolini, multiple court cases, and the test of time. Their success has not been restrained to Sicilian borders as they have expanded their criminal operations on an international scale. Their origins can be traced back to monetary opportunity, the Sicilian government structure, economic status and specific strategic geographic locations.