Why did prohibition fail?

Why did prohibition fail? - Gangsters, Widespread illegal drinking, lack of support, impossibility of enforcement, corruption..

In January 1919 the 18th Amendment forbade the manufacture, transportation and sale of liquor, backed up by the Volstead Act which defined liquor as any drink which contained 0.5% alcohol or more. Different groups backed this new law but it was also opposed by many. Prohibition, the Noble Experiment never really succeeded for a variety of reasons. Both presidential candidates in 1932 were 'wet' so on 5th December 1933 Prohibition was finally abolished by means of the 21st Amendment - 14 years after it had been introduced. In the words of Mrs Johnny Torio, Prohibition gave the forces of organised crime "one long unclouded honeymoon", but was organised crime and the gangsters the only reason why Prohibition failed?

The campaign in favour of Prohibition was started many years before it was actually introduced and a major group that influenced this campaign was the Anti-Saloon League (ASL). They used propaganda, such as advertisements, magazines, pamphlets, meetings and posters, to try and encourage the public to share their beliefs. Obviously this propaganda was very biased, but it showed that the ASL was both well organised and well funded. Apart from this group and the Women's' Christian Temperance Union, Prohibition was supported by some big businessmen such as John D. Rockafeller, whose' arguments were that the companies and the country's economy would improve without alcohol, as their employees would be sober and be able to work more effectively. These businessmen contributed financially to the campaign, pouring at least $350,000 into the ASL before 1920 plus an estimated $75,000 per year thereafter. Methodist and Baptist churches also supported Prohibition and used arguments to do with fights between different races in the south - they blamed this on drunken behaviour. The arguments for Prohibition came from people in rural areas, businessmen and religious groups - all of these being minority groups but with strong, powerful arguments backed with propaganda and cash. They all claimed that alcohol damaged the health of drinkers, caused crime and disorder, poverty and distress and absenteeism and loss of production. It was also considered unpatriotic to drink, as many of the brewers were German. The government took notice of these minorities; especially the rich businessmen because without big business the country's industrial output would not be as great and the economy would not be so strong.

The groups who were in favour of Prohibition were not a reason for Prohibition failing, but the problem was that over 75% of America was urban and there were also comparatively few rich businessmen. Sources A, B and C show who the minority groups were and what their arguments were. These sources are all reliable sources although source A is a piece of propaganda, so is biased, it gives an insight into the ASL, a very successful pressure group and the ways which they tried to represent their argument. Sources B and C explain about big business and religious groups and are also reliable as they include facts and figures written by historians many years later, so have no reason to be biased. Prohibition never had any real support from urban states, and was never introduced in Maryland. The majority of the country enjoyed drinking and did not wish to be told what to do by the government, so were determined not to give up what they enjoyed - alcohol. There was a public demand for alcohol, so many people took up the opportunity to supply this growing demand and many 'ordinary' US citizens were turned into lawbreakers. The law was evaded by many US citizens, some of whom weren't discovered. In a single year, 1925, Americans drank 200 million gallons of spirits, 685 million gallons of malt liquor and 118 million gallons of wine.

The public still enjoyed drinking alcohol and when the saloons and shops selling alcohol were closed, the public managed to find alternatives. Some had stills in their own homes and some visited speakeasies. Convicted offenders against Prohibition were often let off lightly. Average fines were about $130 and even serious offenders were imprisoned for less than six months. Juries and police often let off offenders and one jury foreman told a judge "The men tell me they will not indict men for offences they are committing themselves." Politicians were openly partnership with crime. Mayor Big Bill Thompson declared that he was "as wet as the middle of the Atlantic Ocean."

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The government estimated that in 1929 700 million gallons of home-brewed beer was produced in the USA. A vast percentage of the country still drank and some drank more than they did before Prohibition as alcohol was so easy to find. However some of this alcohol was not the type of alcohol that they were used to drinking which resulted in many health problems. More employees were probably absent from work than before Prohibition, with alcohol poisoning from drinking the 'moonshine', which frequently resulted in blindness and death. In New York City the deaths from alcohol poisoning went up from 98 in 1920 to 760 in 1926. This was because of the types of alcohol sold, where no one knew quite what they were getting. In fact much of this alcohol was industrial alcohol, unfit for consumption which caused blistered lips and "It stoned you into…a violent brawling, broad-chasing insanity."

There are reliable figures to back the fact that more alcohol was consumed than before. The number of arrests in the USA went up from 34,175 in 1921 to 66,878 in 1929 and the amount of spirits seized went up from 414,000 in 1921 to 11,860,000 in 1929, which is quite a dramatic increase, as much alcohol was consumed that wasn't seized. Before Prohibition there were approximately 15,000 legal saloons in New York and by 1932 there were about 32,000 speakeasies in the city - so called because customers had to speak quietly so they were not discovered. Statistics published by the City of Philadelphia Police Department (source D), show that the number of arrests for drinking offences went up greatly between 1920 and 1925, the number of drunk drivers went up from 0 to 820 and the number of habitual drunkards went up from 33 to 814. I suspect that these figures were similar in other big cities, but in rural areas the number of arrests would probably have been lower as many agreed with Prohibition and alcohol was not as readily available. These statistics are probably very reliable as they were recorded by the police although not everyone who was breaking the law was arrested, many were not discovered and many were purposefully ignored, as the many people in the police force were 'wet' and accepted bribes for not arresting people. A speakeasy owner explained "We would slip the captain a $50 bill from time to time and a box of cigars to the cops on the beat. They could always count on us for free meals and drinks." This sums up the attitudes of many police, Prohibition agents and other authoritative figures. Industrial alcohol used to make the 'moonshine' was also a factor. It injured and killed many, proving the ASL's argument about a happier, healthier, more productive workforce completely wrong.

Lack of public support was definitely quite a major reason for the failure of Prohibition, which is not closely linked with gangsters taking control of the illegal alcohol industry. The public did not want to be told what they could and couldn't drink by the government and felt that they had no reason to not drink if they could get away with it, which leads to another reason why Prohibition failed - lack of enforcement.

America is the 3rd largest country in the world with large coastlines and borders. Prohibition agents were employed by the government to enforce the law of Prohibition, making sure that alcohol wasn't transported, manufactured or sold, which was obviously a very difficult and dangerous job, especially as there weren't many Prohibition agents in comparison to the law breakers. The scheme was not well funded by the government so they only had very basic training and they were badly paid. The government enforcement agency had an average annual income of about $9 million, which wasn't enough. The recent video (1989), 'The Untouchables' conveys well the job of Prohibition agents and bootleggers who tried to smuggle the alcohol over from Canada. Many of the Prohibition agents were trained in other professions and had to think on the job. The job was very dangerous and often violent, although this aspect was probably exaggerated on the video for more exciting viewing. The law was very difficult to enforce and the video showed just how easy it would have been to smuggle alcohol over the huge border, although it did show that attempts were made to stop bootleggers. In Canada the manufacture, sale and export of alcohol was legal. Opposite the city of Detroit there are the seven border cities of Canada with a total population of 110,000, in these towns were breweries, distilleries and shops selling alcohol - all across the water fronts were docks from which alcohol could legally be cleared through Canadian customs and put on a speed boat for three minutes before reaching the city of Detroit. Alcohol was also transported easily over the bridges and across the border with Mexico. When alcohol was in the USA it was still very hard to find. Often the place where alcohol was stored was so out of the way, that even the owner of the land did not know about it. For instance, a large still, producing 130 gallons was found going at full blast in Texas on the farm of Senator Morris Sheppard, who had been the proposer of the 18th Amendment!

One in twelve agents was dismissed for corruption as many accepted bribes, as their jobs were so badly paid. There were so many dishonest agents that the honest ones became famous, one of the most famous being Izzy Einstein. He did not accept bribes and often fooled speakeasy owners with elaborate disguises and clever contraptions. He made 4392 arrests in all. Izzy devised his own alcohol collecting contraptions so he would have evidence, which shows that the agents were poorly funded. He said "I'd have died if it hadn't have been for that little funnel and bottle…Most of the stuff I got in those places was terrible." This shows another dangerous aspect of the job, Einstein was probably slightly over-exaggerating to make himself sound better.

Prohibition Agents carried out many raids on speakeasies, and pictures in history books show them smashing bottles against walls violently, to get rid of the alcohol, so it couldn't be consumed, but raids could not be carried out on all speakeasies as there were not enough agents. 'The Untouchables' video, with Eliot Ness and his gang of agents also showed evidence of bribery and the excitement they felt when they thought they had evidence of gangsters bribing the police. Lack of government funding and enforcement of the law is also a major reason why Prohibition failed, as this meant that 'ordinary' citizens could get away with breaking the law, as well as the people who were in the illegal alcohol trade for the big money that could be made - the gangsters.

The gangsters turned Prohibition into a multi-million dollar industry. The 1920's saw a rapid increase in the American crime rate. This was mainly owing to the illegal liquor trade that had been developed to overcome Prohibition, led by the gangsters, especially in large cities such as Chicago. All the main cities in America suffered from this problem but the most violent and corrupt was Chicago. There were the bootleggers, smugglers, moonshiners and gangsters; all fighting to supply the public with what they wanted - to make as much money as possible. The most famous gangster was without a doubt, Alphonse 'Scarface' Capone. He moved to Chicago in 1920 to work for Johnny Torrio, who left the business in 1925 and handed his empire over to Capone. It has been estimated that in 1929, Al Capone's income from the various aspects of his business was $60,000,000 (illegal alcohol), $25,000,000 (gambling establishments), $10,000,000 (vice) and $10,000,000 from various other 'rackets', although no-one was ever sure exactly how rich he was as he kept all his money in cash. His expenditures were huge - it is said that he spent $75 million bribing politicians and policemen. Al Capone employed a team of heavily armed men and was under constant protection from his bodyguard. Capone and his corps were fighting using the new formula, using the weight, power and terrorisation of weapons tried and proved in the Great War. They used pistols, machine-guns and sawn off shotguns to wipe out anyone that got in their way and were rarely arrested - Capone got away with all of the 400 murders that he committed (source I). No-one is quite sure exactly how many murders he committed, but the most reliable figures from historians suggest that it was over 400. The most famous gang warfare incident that occurred during Prohibition was probably the St Valentine's Day Massacre on 14th February 1929 when Capone's gang mowed down the entire Bug's Moran gang, their Irish rivals. This was revenge for Bugs Moran killing one of Capone's friends. One by one Capone's rivals were slaughtered. 227 rival gangsters were 'rubbed out' in four years, and he cunningly prevented himself from being caught by very careful planning and intimidating any witnesses.

Al Capone's gang and the others were not only involved in bootlegging but also in racketeering. Businessmen and shopkeepers had to pay protection money to gangsters to prevent their properties being smashed up by the gangsters.

As the profits from all these illegal activities rolled in, Al Capone also acquired more finesse and was very clever, he managed his gang, the public, the police, the politicians and by 1925 he had gained complete control of the suburb of Cicero and had installed his own mayor in office.

Many people had a very negative opinion of Capone as he "crushed all opposition", but surprisingly Capone became a superstar. Every newspaper had a Capone reporter like they had a White House reporter. He gave flamboyant press conferences in monogrammed silk pyjamas with the appearance and innocence of a regular businessman, simply providing a service to the public. The gangsters played a major role in almost everybody's lives, as there were magazine articles and films all about them. Al Capone fascinated the public. He appeared on the front page of Time (source H), a leading American weekly magazine in 1930, looking confident, happy and proud of who he was. He was of celebrity status. Society attended lavish cocktail parties thrown by him and called him Al. He donated money to charity and helped the homeless. He was powerful. He had taken control of the illegal alcohol industry and much more. Although he was recognised as a celebrity, most people were also very scared of him. Prohibition had got out of hand, and it was obvious that the 18th Amendment had been unsuccessful.

The participation of gangsters in the illegal alcohol industry was definitely a very major reason why it failed as it is also linked closely to public support and enforcement. The gangsters took control of the alcohol industry and everyone involved with it. The gangsters were so rich, powerful and violent that they could get almost anyone to do whatever they wanted - including people with authority, so in effect they took over the USA, or at least the urban areas.

Capone reached his peak in the mid 1920's, which ended in 1929. In October 1929 the Great Crash and the Depression happened in the USA which affected people world-wide. The stock market crashed, which eventually resulted in 12 million being made unemployed and many being made homeless. Poverty struck all around the world. Many people could no longer afford alcohol, which put the gangsters out of business. Capone even started soup kitchens to feed the families of those who were out of work.

Prior to Prohibition the government made much money out of tax from alcohol and in 1929 the government needed money to deal with the horrific situation in the USA and to get the economy going again. They knew that alcohol was being consumed anyway, so abolished the law, so that they would receive much needed money in tax.

Nobody could argue that Prohibition had made the USA prosperous. Capone was sentenced to 11 years in jail on 24th October 1931 and in 1933 Prohibition was finally abolished.

Was the reason for Prohibition failing that the gangsters took control of the illegal alcohol industry?

The Wall Street Crash and the Depression was a short-term reason for Prohibition failing and this is a key reason for it ending when it did, but I think that Prohibition had failed before 1929 and would probably have been abolished without the influence of the Depression, but it was just a question of when it would happen.

By the mid 1920's I think that the failure was quite conclusive and it was obvious that the majority of the country still drank and were breaking the law. It was the Depression that actually prohibited ordinary citizens from drinking, as many of them lost their jobs and simply could not afford food or homes, let alone alcohol, as well as the government being desperate for money. I think that the Depression was probably the last straw and the final factor which made the government abolish Prohibition, but was not a major reason.

The other three reasons that I identified have very close links with each other. Firstly the public view - to start with it was only a very small minority of people who formed organisations like the ASL, fighting for Prohibition. The vast majority of the USA didn't agree with Prohibition but the minority was a very powerful minority. Prohibition never had full public support, which virtually made it destined to fail before the law was even passed - saloons were a way of life for many men, so when the law was passed they automatically they looked for substitutes - speakeasies.

I think that it was the lack of public support that was the origin of the failure of Prohibition, but a parallel reason to the lack of public support was the difficulty of enforcement. It is unlikely that as many US citizens would have drunk if they had known for certain that they would be imprisoned or would have to face a hefty fine that they knew they couldn't afford, but for as long as they knew they could get away with it they would carry on breaking the law. The public relied on unreliable agents, who would accept bribes as they knew that only a very small percentage of agents were honest and reliable. Those that were, were often recognised and people were made aware of them.

However this theory also works the other way round - if the majority public had have agreed with the law being passed in the first place then they wouldn't have taken the opportunity to break it, therefore the Prohibition agents would have been needed and the law wouldn't have required any more enforcement than the other laws of the land, although I still feel that the government should have allocated more money to the scheme, especially when they knew it wasn't working.

I think that the nature of the law made it very hard to enforce, as it was very hard to capture and punish law breakers. But the group who contributed most to this difficulty along side the general public, in my opinion, were the gangsters. The gangsters took control of the whole industry and made alcohol readily available to any American citizen who wanted it, although this part of the reason does combine closely with the lack of public support. I think that if it weren't for the gangsters then the problem would never have been as severe, as many members of the public would have had to go without alcohol and the Prohibition Agents' time could have been used more effectively and devoted to 'ordinary' US citizens, as opposed to gangsters, who were in the business for the money.

The gangsters controlled the public, the bootleggers, the speakeasy owners and many members of the polic force, government and the courts - hindering the law enforcement greatly. The problem was the great power that the gangsters had.

Overall, I think that the gangsters were the main reason why Prohibition failed, followed closely by (and linked closely to) the lack of public support. My reasoning behind this opinion is that the demand by the public for alcohol could not have been met without the powerful gangsters and once they had started to meet this demand they could not be stopped as the gangsters controlled and influenced many people who should have had influence over the gangsters and stopped them providing alcohol to the public.