How Did Edgar Hoover Prevent The Roaring Twenties?

The formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation did little to enforce the ban on alcohol until J. Edgar Hoover was named Director. Before Hoover was given this position, the Bureau was outgunned by most criminal gangs; additionally, the Twenties saw an increase in the number of criminal gangs in most cities that performed many illegal operations, most of which had to do with Prohibition. The FBI was able to do little to enforce the alcohol ban because of the increase in robberies and kidnappings, and the number of criminal gangs and their firepower; however, once Hoover became Director, his determination to reform the Bureau caused it to be able to cope with all the problems with criminal gangs. He built up the weak framework of an agency

“In one big city alone—Chicago—an estimated 1,300 gangs had spread like a deadly virus by the mid-1920s” (“FBI”). Not only did gangs commit crime against the population, but they also fought with one another, and they took control of the alcohol industry. As you can imagine, this caused even more danger than a simple robbery. Gangster’s used Thompson submachine guns, also known as “Tommy Guns,” and didn’t care who they hit. And now, people had to buy their alcohol from bootleggers and smugglers-you would never know what they could put in there. The gangs even outgunned the FBI. By 1908, the country’s cities had grown tremendously, and crime grew right with it (“Brief History”). It was not only criminal gangs, striking workers fought against their bosses, and ethnic tensions caused many to lash out at one another. The FBI was unable to cope with all the trouble, and so when J. Edgar Hoover joined the Bureau, he quickly turned that inability upside

One year later, in November of 1918, he was made assistant to the attorney general, and, only a year after, headed the GID (General Intelligence Division). At age 29, Hoover was named Director of the Bureau, only seven years after he first joined. Hoover realized the state at which the Bureau was in, and quickly took action. He cut all employees he though unfit for the job, and started doing background checks, physical tests, and interviews for new agents. But how did he help fight gangs in cities such as Chicago and New York? It all started when four people, including an FBI special agent, were killed at a train station. “Using whatever federal laws it could hang its hat on, the Bureau turned its full attention to catching these gangsters.” (“FBI”). Within another year under Hoover’s command, most of the gangsters were killed or sent to prison. Gangsters made mountains of cash illegally importing alcohol over the borders, and by putting almost all gangsters in jail, Hoover tremendously decreased the amount of alcohol crossing the border. Most notably, the capture of John Dillinger, also known as “Blackbird,” was