Going beyond the obsessive preoccupation with material wealth and its contribution to the collapse of the American Dream, the manner by which many people in the 1920s garnered that wealth in the first place also plays a large role in the American Dream’s demise. The Prohibition movement that took place in American history coincides with the events of The Great Gatsby. The act of smuggling alcohol enabled many people, who otherwise not have the means or capabilities to achieve financial success, to gain access to enough money to enjoy an absurd and extravagant lifestyle. Prohibition started in 1919 when the Eighteenth Amendment was passed. The idea was that it would encourage moral behavior and bring about a decline in criminal activities. After