Prohibition in Usa 1900-1930

Prohibition in USA in the 1900s The inhibition was brought on by the vigorous temperance strawman happening in the States in the early 1900s. These groups were devout Christians who vowed to be sober as they saw the affect alcoholic beverage had on families. precisely the members of this execution campaigned for every oneness to give up alcohol. The arguments of the Temperance groups were so strong that they ultimately convinced state regimes to prohibit the deal and produce of alcohol in their state.Politicians backed this feat as it secured them votes in the rural areas, and by 1916, the trade and production of alcohol had been banned in 21 states. USAs entry into the war strengthened this movement, as drinkers were being labelled as Unpatriotic cowards for not entering into the war. The fact that Ger or so(prenominal) supplied most of the countries alcohol too helped the movement, as Germany was seen as the enemy. Despite the vast efforts do by the government, the sa le and production if alcohol didnt entirely cease.People all over the US started making their own alcohol, these were called bootleggers People also set up misappropriated bars marketing black market alcohol and providing entertainment, these were referred to as Speakeasies and made a fortune. Over the 13 years that the prohibition lasted, over 37,000 unratified distilleries, or stills were shut down, and nearly 23 million gallons of illegally produced or imported alcohol was seized. But even after all that it is utter that only a fraction was discovered, although it is Impossible to know for certain.Temperance groups had been around for many years, yet their quest for a dry coarse wasnt turgid until the early 1900s. These groups were strong in rural areas of the US, but after Americas entry into the First World War in 1917, this movement was strengthened. Americas deep sense on patriotism antecedently weakened the temperance movement, as citizens were proud of who they were and all enjoyed a redeeming(prenominal) drink. But when the war was over, and Germany was distinguished as the enemy, patriots were unwilling to support their prudence by buying their alcohol, which greatly helped the movement as most of the US alcohol was supplied by Germany.With majority of the area on their side, the temperance movement grew stronger and by 1917 they had enough states on their side to propose the eighteenth amendment, which banned the manufacture, sale or transportation or intoxicating pot liquors and in January of 1920 it became a law, known as the Volstead Act. The prohibition was not for everyone, and although a chaw of Americans concur with the movement, there were plenty who did not.People began to see there was potentially a lot of money in this, and began to set up illegal bars selling illegally made alcohol. A lot of these mountain were immigrants, who were poorly ameliorate but also ruthless and clever. The government used the prohibition by imp lementing prohibition agents who discovered and arrested offenders. But despite the work of these agents, who were poorly paying and had a large area to cover, it became apparent that it was practically impossible to effectively enforce prohibition in the cities. galore(postnominal) speakeasies thrived as bootleggers took advantage of the underpaid officers, and bribed them to keep quiet. Many great deal made a vast fortune through the movement, one of the most well-known being Al Capone, who made an estimated 2 one million million dollars throughout the 13 years of prohibition. Al Capone was a well-known lot leader, and was renowned for his ruthlessness. His criminal activities were not exactly quiet but it was nigh impossible to convict him as he had such a strong control over the law.In 1929 Capone and his gang dressed up as police and murdered 7 members of an opposing gang, which is now known as the St. Valentines day massacre. It was at this point where it became apparent that things had gotten out of hand, and some say it was this event which essentially led to the end of the prohibition. At close the same time, there was a massive crash in the American stock market. People were losing jobs and the economy was crumbling. By this stage the police were corrupt, the country was lawless and the gangsters were rich and powerful.To make matter worse, by 1930 a great depression had set in and arguments were raised that if the ban on liquor was raised, it would create more jobs, the gangsters would have less power and less money, and it would heart-to-heart resources which were dispensed to the agents in charge of the unrealistic task of enforcing prohibition. These ideas were frowned upon by many, but the country was in need of change. In 1932, the democrat Franklin D Roosevelt was take president, and by 1933 the eighteenth amendment was revoked.It was said by many that the prohibition was a complete failure, as from day one it was an immense struggle to enforce the law, and people continued to drink despite it, which resulted in huge profits for the people illegally producing and selling alcohol. Many people also speak out that the prohibition was a contributing factor to the great depression, and impacted the country in a negative way. American culture was greatly changed by the movement, as police became more corrupt than the offenders they were allegedly trying to imprison, and gangsters were compulsory the cities which put the country into a state of constant fear.Crime and violence range rose greatly, the government lost a lot of money from alcohol taxes and the country struggled to support itself without the income which alcohol used to provide. It wasnt until the St Valentines Massacre that people realised how out of control the whole situation was, and it is referred to as a turning point as it is thought that this event made the government see that the prohibition was causing more trouble than it was fixing. In conc lusion, the prohibition really did not achieve what it set out to do, stop people from drinking and create a more civilised country, in fact, it did instead the opposite.