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College University The American Society That Became Mafia
College University The American Society That Became Mafia
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Anybody who has access to any kind of media will have heard of The Mafia. They are part of modern day folklore, and are to be found mentioned in many films and books. Not many people pause to think about their origins, and how they got their name. It is name that can strike fear into the heart of anyone who might have got on the wrong side of them.
Anybody who has access to any kind of media will have heard of The Mafia. They are part of modern day folklore, and are to be found mentioned in many films and books. Not many people pause to think about their origins, and how they got their name. It is name that can strike fear into the heart of anyone who might have got on the wrong side of them. It has its origins in mid nineteenth century Sicily, and the Italian name for them is La Cosa Nostra. Roughly translated this means Our Thing, or this thing of ours. The Italian word mafiosa actually translates as bold or beautiful or full of confidence, so it is really quite a nice word. It was the Italian government who made the word synonymous with crime During the late nineteenth century the concept of immigration became more popular, and members of the mafia began to seek their fortunes in the East coast of America and also the mid west. Within a short space of time the group became very powerful in the United States, peaking in the seventies and eighties. After this time the authorities sought to curtail its powers with investigations and arrests. Even now it is very strong in Chicago and New York city. It is still considered to control much of the organised crime in both these cities. Even after so much time has passed its links to its birthplace in Sicily and Italy remain very strong. In Sicily, and especially the city of Palermo, the mafia is still a force to be reckoned with, and is rumoured to have control over parts of the government. Part of the reasons it is so strong is because its emergence came at the same time as the country was growing stronger through exports and new industries. One of the major exports in Sicily is oranges and lemons which grow on the hills surrounding Palermo. These orange and lemon groves and estates were owned by wealthy landowners to whom the Mafia offered its protection. They were then able to use the political connections that these landowners had to go about their business freely. Today the city of Palermo is still considered to be the headquarters of this organisation. The American authorities managed to turn these organised crime connections to their advantage during world war two. At the time several members of this organisation were locked up in jail. By using their connections it became easier for the allied troops to get into Sicily and Italy. In return the convicts were given certain considerations that made it easier for them to run their businesses from jail. After the end of the second world war the organisation started to regain power from within Italy. They continued to be powerful until the eighties and nineties when several of their top members were murdered. The organisation then started to control more white collar crimes rather than the more usual extortion rackets. The nickname for this new kind of mafia is La Cosa Nuova, meaning new thing. The word mafia is quite often used to describe any group of people indulging in organised crime in countries around the world. The Mafia still refers to the original group, whether in the United States or in Sicily. |
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College University The American Society That Became Mafia
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