Prohibition Flashcards
What were some ideological reasons for prohibition
-Women saw alcohol as a means of men oppressing them
-Big businesses saw drunkenness as leading to danger and inefficiencies in the workplace
-Religious groups saw alcohol as the work of the devil, responsible for sin and wrongdoing
What company saw drunkenness as leading to inefficiency or danger
Heinz
What are some reasons prohibition increased in popularity
-Impact of War
-Disorganisation of opposition
How did WW1 contribute to prohibition
-Grain used in alcohol was needed in food, so it was seen as patriotic to go sober
-1917 Lever Act banned the use of grain in manufacture of alcoholic drinks
-Many large brewers were German, so anti-German feeling led many to stop buying their alcohol
How did disorganised opposition contribute to prohibition
There was little pushback on prohibition, with marches and rallies in New York and a parade in Baltimore. There was little protest once it was implemented as well
How was prohibition implemented
18th Amendment banned the ‘manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liqours’ in 1920
When was Prohibition between
1920 - 33
How much did the Anti-Saloon League estimate was needed to enforce prohibition and how much was given
$5 billion, was given $2 billion
Why was geography an issue in enforcing prohibition
18700 miles of coastline and land border, which was unenforcable. Waters outside of national limits became known as ‘Rum Row’.
How successful was smuggling
In 1925, agents only intercepted 5% of alcohol illegally entering the country
How were bootleggers a problem with enforcing prohibition
Chemists could still sell alcohol on perscription, which saw widespread abuse. Bootleggers also went into business as producers and distributers of illegal alcohol. 10,000 died due to drinking moonashine and ‘bathtub gin’. The huge numbers of bootleggers meant by 1925 there were more speakesies than saloons before prohibition
Who was the ‘King of Bootleggers’ and what did he do
George Remus bought breweries on eve of prohibition for production of medicinal alcohol and arranged for 3000 gangsters to hijack his product and divert it to illegal stills. In 5 years he made $5 million
How did problems with Treasury Agents contribute to the faliure of Prohibition
3000 agents were employed to enforce prohibition, far too few. Their average salary was $2500 to shut down illegal industries worth est $2 billion. This meant many were corrupt, with one agent said to have made $7 million selling illegal licenses to bootleggers
How did the Role of Government contribute to prohibition
Government didn’t enforce it as they didn’t want to alienate rich and influential voters. Laissez faire also meant the government didn’t try to intervene
How did prohibition lead to crime and gangsterism
There was huge demand and no supply, meaning mobs could make immense profits from the sale of alcohol
