“I have built my organization upon fear” This is a extremely well known saying from the 1930’s criminal, Al Capone. This quote is his way of explaining how he and others like him have gained control through fear and influence. This quote helps to show how the criminals like Al Capone thrived and controlled throughout the 1930’s. An example of someone like this is the gang leader John Dillinger, who robbed and pillaged throughout countless areas during the 1930’s. Their was also the Mafia which was a huge organization that dominated the criminal underworld. Last, but not least, their is the main face of crime, Al Capone. These examples of dangerous criminal and criminal organizations helps show how the 1930’s was a very dangerous and eventful time to live.
First off, there is the criminal kingpin Al Capone, who dominated the illegal bootlegging business in the 1930’s. During the 1930’s, there was a prohibition of alcohol that began in the late 1920’s (Weebly 1). During this time period, Al Capone and his gang took advantage of the people who still wanted alcohol and began the illegal trade of moonshine all across many areas, making lots of money. Al Capone and his chicago outfit were also involved in many different conflicts with other gangs and police (FBI 1). What made him so hard to arrest was the fact that the law was not as advanced as it is now. According to the FBI’s article on him,”The investigative jurisdiction of the bureau of Investigation during the 1920s and early 1930s was more limited than it is now, and the gang warfare and depredations of the period were not within the Bureau’s investigative authority (FBI 1).” This allowed Al Capone to get away with many things that he did, as the normal police force had a hard time with him already and the FBI could not do anything to help. Ultimately, this caused illegal business of many different items, not just alcohol, to be distributed, becoming a major threat to the public.
Next, there is the well known gang leader John Dillinger, who was a gangster and bank robber. In his prime, he was the leader of the Dillinger gang which was nicknamed, Terror gang. He and his gang were accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations, along with many other crimes (Wikipedia 1). He was also charged with the murder of a Indiana police officer, which was his only murder charge unlike his gang. Similar to Al Capone, since laws were not as advanced, he never committed any crimes that got organizations like the FBI searching for him until later in his career. He escaped from jail twice, once with the help of his gang and the second time with a bar of soap that looked like a gun (Britannica 1) . An article written by the Encyclopedia Britannica quotes Dillinger for saying,”With a razor and a piece of wood, he carved a fake pistol, blackened it with shoe polish, and used it to force his way past a dozen guards to freedom, singing as he left, ‘I’m heading for the last roundup (1).’” This quote is further explained to mean that because of his knowledge after being held two different prisons, he met many dangerous criminals and had gained lots of knowledge and allies from them, which made him all the more dangerous to everyone he and his gang comes across, including the innocent people who are just trying to get by.
Lastly, there is the American Mafia, which was a huge criminal society connected by families who were of Italian descent. During the 1930’s, the Mafia was in control of many different ventures including unions, construction, sanitation, and drug trafficking (Wikipedia 1). This alone showed how big of a organization they were, but that wasn't all. Certain families also had ties with other criminals such as Al Capone and his Chicago outfit, which often assisted each other in many different ways that involved business. Even through all this power that many families have accumulated, some faded and were forced to either break apart, or merge with other families(1). An article written by Wikipedia can be quoted for saying,”On the other hand, those Mafia families that neglected the need to change eventually lost power and influence and were ultimately absorbed by other groups (1).” This explains how because of the end of the prohibition era, many families lost business because they did not want to change, leading to their downfall. This, however, was also extremely bad for many people. Since the remaining families had no way of making proper business with the distribution of moonshine, they resorted to many other businesses such as the distribution of drugs, loansharking, and expanded their reach in the activities listed above. This caused many people's lives to be ruined because of all of the businesses and jobs that were taken and exploited by the Mafia.
All in all, these criminals and criminal organizations have made the 1930’s a very eventful time to live. There was Al Capone who dominated the bootlegging business. There was also John Dillinger who was the infamous leader of the Terror Gang, and of course, the Mafia which dominated the high society of crime. Thanks to these people and groups, many people went through hardships that made the Great Depression worse. What they also did, however, is make our society far stronger with the knowledge we are provided from them.
First off, there is the criminal kingpin Al Capone, who dominated the illegal bootlegging business in the 1930’s. During the 1930’s, there was a prohibition of alcohol that began in the late 1920’s (Weebly 1). During this time period, Al Capone and his gang took advantage of the people who still wanted alcohol and began the illegal trade of moonshine all across many areas, making lots of money. Al Capone and his chicago outfit were also involved in many different conflicts with other gangs and police (FBI 1). What made him so hard to arrest was the fact that the law was not as advanced as it is now. According to the FBI’s article on him,”The investigative jurisdiction of the bureau of Investigation during the 1920s and early 1930s was more limited than it is now, and the gang warfare and depredations of the period were not within the Bureau’s investigative authority (FBI 1).” This allowed Al Capone to get away with many things that he did, as the normal police force had a hard time with him already and the FBI could not do anything to help. Ultimately, this caused illegal business of many different items, not just alcohol, to be distributed, becoming a major threat to the public.
Next, there is the well known gang leader John Dillinger, who was a gangster and bank robber. In his prime, he was the leader of the Dillinger gang which was nicknamed, Terror gang. He and his gang were accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations, along with many other crimes (Wikipedia 1). He was also charged with the murder of a Indiana police officer, which was his only murder charge unlike his gang. Similar to Al Capone, since laws were not as advanced, he never committed any crimes that got organizations like the FBI searching for him until later in his career. He escaped from jail twice, once with the help of his gang and the second time with a bar of soap that looked like a gun (Britannica 1) . An article written by the Encyclopedia Britannica quotes Dillinger for saying,”With a razor and a piece of wood, he carved a fake pistol, blackened it with shoe polish, and used it to force his way past a dozen guards to freedom, singing as he left, ‘I’m heading for the last roundup (1).’” This quote is further explained to mean that because of his knowledge after being held two different prisons, he met many dangerous criminals and had gained lots of knowledge and allies from them, which made him all the more dangerous to everyone he and his gang comes across, including the innocent people who are just trying to get by.
Lastly, there is the American Mafia, which was a huge criminal society connected by families who were of Italian descent. During the 1930’s, the Mafia was in control of many different ventures including unions, construction, sanitation, and drug trafficking (Wikipedia 1). This alone showed how big of a organization they were, but that wasn't all. Certain families also had ties with other criminals such as Al Capone and his Chicago outfit, which often assisted each other in many different ways that involved business. Even through all this power that many families have accumulated, some faded and were forced to either break apart, or merge with other families(1). An article written by Wikipedia can be quoted for saying,”On the other hand, those Mafia families that neglected the need to change eventually lost power and influence and were ultimately absorbed by other groups (1).” This explains how because of the end of the prohibition era, many families lost business because they did not want to change, leading to their downfall. This, however, was also extremely bad for many people. Since the remaining families had no way of making proper business with the distribution of moonshine, they resorted to many other businesses such as the distribution of drugs, loansharking, and expanded their reach in the activities listed above. This caused many people's lives to be ruined because of all of the businesses and jobs that were taken and exploited by the Mafia.
All in all, these criminals and criminal organizations have made the 1930’s a very eventful time to live. There was Al Capone who dominated the bootlegging business. There was also John Dillinger who was the infamous leader of the Terror Gang, and of course, the Mafia which dominated the high society of crime. Thanks to these people and groups, many people went through hardships that made the Great Depression worse. What they also did, however, is make our society far stronger with the knowledge we are provided from them.