Prohibition Flashcards
What were the main causes of prohibition?
Woman and religious groups such as the Anti-Saloon League believed alcohol was to blame for violence and poverty
Many beer companies were German so by drinking it during ww1 you betrayed your country
When was prohibition ( the Volstead act) in place?
1919-1933
What was moonshine?
Homemade alcohol that often had such a high alcohol content that it was poisonous
What was bootlegging?
The smuggling of alcohol often through gangs and over the Canadian border
What were speakeasies?
Illegal bars often disguised at shops
How many speakeasies were there across the USA?
200,000
What were the problems with enforcing prohibition?
Prohibition agents were very outnumbered and many became corrupted by taking bribes
Name one famous prohibition officer?
Moe Smith
Who was Al Capone?
A famous gangster who corrupted Chicago through his trade
How many men did Al Capone employ?
1000
How did Al Capone get away with it for so long?
He bribed police officers and politicians and threatened people who wouldn’t take bribes
How many murders were there in four years?
227
What and when was the st Valentine’s Day massacre?
1929 when Capones men killed seven members of his rival Moran’s gang but no one was arrested
How much money was transferred from the brewing industry so gangsters during prohibition ?
$2000 million
What were supporters of prohibition known as?
Dries
What was prohibition?
Banned the production and sale of alcohol
Where were the temperance movements the strongest?
In rural areas
What were the arguments for prohibition?
3000 children were smothered a year by drunk parents
Dries claimed drink causes lawlessness
Drinking was said to encourage the spread of communism after Russian revolution
Saloons seen as dens of vice that destroyed family life
How successful was prohibition?
On 1929 50 million litres of illegal alcohol were discovered and destroyed
Consumption levels of alcohol fell and didn’t reach pre 1914 levels until 1971
Izzy Einstein and moe smith were famous for being good
How many prohibition agents was there?
4000, many of which were sacked for accepting bribes
How much of a failure was prohibition?
Liquor trade just went under ground Many ordinary people were now criminals Moonshine was poor quality and often killed people (jack ass brandy caused internal bleeding) Gangsters Prohibition ended
What abolished prohibition?
The 21st amendment in 1933
