The Sicilian Mafia

In this paper I will discuss the cultural factors and economic conditions within the territory of Italy and specifically within the island of Sicily which led to the rise and every day common need for an institution such as the Sicilian Mafia. Following my explanation of the Sicilian Mafia’s origins in the context of local culture and its pervasive role in Sicilian society I will discuss the various ways in which the Mafia’s activities have at times greatly preserved and also crippled the economic potential for growth in the areas it operated in and the reasons why this underdevelopment aided it. Lastly I will examine the causes of the Sicilian Mafia’s decline and discuss the future solutions to preserving a Sicily free from overt Mafia control.

To begin with Sicily’s position, at the convergence of the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas, it’s position straddling the continents of Europe and Africa and it’s abundance of natural resources including citrus, wheat and olives made it an ideal location for trade and foreign commerce as well as a prime target for piracy which brought with it various forms of violence effecting both human life and economic stability.

As a result of the fact that various groups had colonized the island throughout the course of nearly a millennia the peasant class of Sicilians where accustomed to a feudalist system which exploited them through the means of oppressive rents and taxes which compounded the certain misery of land-tied lives of serfdom. At the dawn of the 19th century Sicily’s major industries, the growing of citrus fruits, refinement of wheat into flour and extraction of olive oil from olives were all owned and controlled by foreign commercial firms. Locally owned, native Sicilian commercial en...

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In conclusion, currently the Sicilian mafia is far weaker than it had been in prior decades. Mostly due to the government crackdowns on high profile mafia captains. The state of government especially in terms of local government and politics is where mafia elements are particularly active and exert influence in order to further their agendas. To this day we can see that the sole reason for the continued existence of the mafia within Sicily is the administrative shortcomings of an inefficient governmental structure which either cannot or will not fills the needs of the citizenry. We can infer that the best way to combat and eventual try to eliminate mafia influence in the Sicilian context is to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of government to the needs of their people.