Prohibition

Question 1

What is prohibition?

Answer 1

1920: 18th Amendment passed, making the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal. Many continued to drink anyways and resulted in a rise in organised crime.

Question 2

Why was prohibition introduced?

Answer 2

1. Political: LOts of alcohol came from German brewers during a period of anti-German sentiment
2. Social: Anti-Saloon League argued that alcohol damaged American society, led to ‘idleness’ and crime
   
   • Seemed to cause a rise in crime and violence
3. Religion: Alcohol consumption was considered a sin
4. Industrialist: Henry Ford argued that alcohol reduced the efficiency of his workers.

Question 3

Why did it fail?

Answer 3

1. Not enough Prohibition agents to enforce it and the agents weren’t paid very much, so they were easy to bribe
2. Size of borders made controlling smuggling by bootleggers very difficult
3. Many Americans didn’t support it and were willing to drink illegal alcohol in speakeasies.
4. Lead to a rise in organised crime instead of a decrease.
5. Protection rackets, organised crime, prostitution, gambling organised by gangsters, political corruption and gangland murders were more common
6. Cost of enforcement was too high: $13.4 million

3.

Question 4

How did it end?

Answer 4

Wickersham Commission led by President Hoover said that prohibition was unenforceable - unregulated production led to many deaths

Repealed in 1933