Why was prohibition such a controversial issue in the 1920s?
Prohibition took place between January 1920 and December 1933, and was the statutory prevention of the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the USA. The policy emerged from the First World War and the moral climate of the United States at the time. Prohibition was and still is a source of discussion and debate, making it a highly contentious issue. Seen by many as the 'great experiment' of the 20th century, public opinion on the restriction was split, and prohibition was bound from the outset to be controversial.
The social and cultural climate in America during the early 1900s was changing. Many American people were desperate to hang on to the Christian ideas of the 19th century. It was this feeling that helped the development of pro-prohibition groups, the main one being the Anti-Saloon League. Formed in 1896, they focused only on the legal prohibition of alcoholic beverages and were very successful, forcing 28 states into adopting prohibition laws before 1920. Supporters of prohibition tended to live in small towns in the South or West, were Protestant and voted Republican. Some religious groups saw alcohol as 'the work of the devil'. Women's groups like the WCTU felt alcohol oppressed them through men; big businesses saw drunkenness as a reason for inefficiency and danger in the workplace.
The prohibitionists were very powerful, and the First World War helped this. During the war grain was needed for food, so people felt it was patriotic to not have a drink. Also, sobriety was seen as part of the 'brave new world' to be created after the war. These factors meant the anti-prohibitionists were less vocal than they could have been, although this was also due to their disorganisation. There were a few marches and parades, but other than that there was little protest. Because of all this, there was hardly any real opposition to prohibition when it was first put into effect in 1920. This may have misled politicians and the Anti-Saloon League into thinking the 'experiment' would run smoothly. In fact, the opposition was mainly underground; people simply got alcohol illegally.
Prohibition took place between January 1920 and December 1933, and was the statutory prevention of the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the USA. The policy emerged from the First World War and the moral climate of the United States at the time. Prohibition was and still is a source of discussion and debate, making it a highly contentious issue. Seen by many as the 'great experiment' of the 20th century, public opinion on the restriction was split, and prohibition was bound from the outset to be controversial.
The social and cultural climate in America during the early 1900s was changing. Many American people were desperate to hang on to the Christian ideas of the 19th century. It was this feeling that helped the development of pro-prohibition groups, the main one being the Anti-Saloon League. Formed in 1896, they focused only on the legal prohibition of alcoholic beverages and were very successful, forcing 28 states into adopting prohibition laws before 1920. Supporters of prohibition tended to live in small towns in the South or West, were Protestant and voted Republican. Some religious groups saw alcohol as 'the work of the devil'. Women's groups like the WCTU felt alcohol oppressed them through men; big businesses saw drunkenness as a reason for inefficiency and danger in the workplace.
The prohibitionists were very powerful, and the First World War helped this. During the war grain was needed for food, so people felt it was patriotic to not have a drink. Also, sobriety was seen as part of the 'brave new world' to be created after the war. These factors meant the anti-prohibitionists were less vocal than they could have been, although this was also due to their disorganisation. There were a few marches and parades, but other than that there was little protest. Because of all this, there was hardly any real opposition to prohibition when it was first put into effect in 1920. This may have misled politicians and the Anti-Saloon League into thinking the 'experiment' would run smoothly. In fact, the opposition was mainly underground; people simply got alcohol illegally.
