Al Capone: The Role Of Organized Crime In The 1920's

America had vast economic power during the 1920s, otherwise known as the Roaring Twenties. The era consisted of the alcohol prohibition, gangsters, the Jazz Age and the Klu Klux Klan. Jobs paid well and there was an abundance of spare cash. Hire Purchase agreements were introduced and as was buying shares on the stock market. This contributed towards the wealth of the middle class. The middle class enjoyed lavish lifestyles with a standard of living that was much higher than any other country worldwide. There were however many criminals and gangsters behind the scenes. One of the renowned gangster was Al Capone, who’s rise and fall contributed towards the American subculture.
The subculture of America at the time was diverse. A subculture is

Organised crime can be described as ‘a serious crime planned, coordinated and conducted by people working together on a continuing basis’. People who participated in organised crime were mainly motivated by financial gain. Al Capone was first arrested for charges of murder, but was never tried because nobody admitted to knowing anything about the matter. He moved to Chicago in 1919. Capone then worked for his role model (John Torrio). Torrio noticed Capone’s intelligence and the two soon began working together managing a bootlegging business. The two worked as partners managing saloons, gambling houses and bars, even though the sale of alcohol was illegal. Bootlegging was seen as essential by the middle class and gangs during the 1920s after the prohibition of alcohol in

Speakeasies were businesses that sold illegal liquor. The gang leaders opened nightclubs with the best bands, talented dancers and lots of illegal alcohol. The name ‘speakeasy’ originated from the fact that people had to ‘keep it on the low down’ when talking about these illegal pubs yet the people who attended these speakeasies were not shy to be seen there. They were sometimes raided by police and the owners and people who attended were arrested, but speakeasies were so profitable that they continued to thrive. Due to the implementation of prohibition, some speakeasies ensured that the people drank illegal liquor from tea cups, in the event of a police raid. There were more than 100 000 speakeasies in New York by 1925. In order for people to enter speakeasies, they would have had to say a password to the doorperson of the speakeasy. This would ensure the doorperson that the person wanting to enter was not a police officer or secret