About the Mafia

"Mafia" is the common term to describe a secret crime organization created in Sicily that came to America as part of the massive wave of immigration from Europe in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century. The Mafia is also known as La Cosa Nostra, which translates into "Our Thing"-- underlying the extremely secretive qualities of the organization.

History

The exact origins of the Mafia are not entirely known. Some crime scholars propose that a prototype of what would become the Mafia arose as long as ago the 13th century in Sicily as part of a revolt against French occupation. The unification of Italy and Sicily in the mid-1800s is recognized as the era in which the Mafia began to assume great power and become more organized.

Geography

The Mafia's move to America cemented its growth and influence. The Mafia had acted as protectors of urban areas dominated by Italian immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was the passage of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (which established Prohibition) that effectively turned this small-time organized-crime unit into the most powerful in the country. The lack of an adequate supply of alcohol gave the Mafia the entry into the world of big-time criminal control that they had enjoyed in Sicily.

Identification

The Mafia is said to be organized in a manner not unlike that of a major capitalist industry. A hierarchy exists: The most powerful members at the top are the equivalent of the CEOs, with each level beneath them invested with less power. The Mafia is also like a corporate industry in that there are competing families who work together in the interest of promoting criminal activity in general--like gambling, loan sharking or drugs--but who are working against each other on a specific level (as in determining who controls the selling of drugs in a certain part of a city).

Features

One of the most widely known features of the Mafia is the jargon its members use. Most of this jargon has made it into the popular culture via film and literature, but the news media have gained this insight into the reality of the Mafia as a result of high-profile court cases. The famous code of silence that keeps the government from breaking the Mafia apart is known as "omerta." A member of the Mafia who is "made" is one who has undergone an official ritual that protects him against violence. A wiseguy or goodfella is a member of the Mafia.

Significance

The structure of the Mafia is what sets it apart from other criminal organizations. Rather than acting simply as a collection of petty criminals, the Mafia enjoys a hierarchy that includes the boss (known in fiction as the Godfather and in both fiction and real life as a don); the underboss; a collection of men known as capos who are the head of certain sections of the overall mob "family"' and soldiers who do the real dirty work. Because the Mafia is so organized and has such a vast army, it can easily move into areas where criminal activity is being performed by a less organized group.

Misconceptions

The biggest misconceptions about the Mafia were primarily crafted by the cinema, especially films like "The Godfather." There is no honor among thieves, and certainly not among members of the Mafia; nor have the top dons ever shied away from engaging in any kind of moneymaking activity. Whereas Don Corleone in "The Godfather" refuses to become involved in the drug business, the real Mafia bosses have been willing to sell drugs to children, force young women into prostitution and even blackmail politicians to get what they want.

Function

The purpose of the Mafia is simple: to make money. The Mafia is involved in everything from petty burglaries and prostitution to hijacking 18-wheelers filled with merchandise and running illegal gambling establishments in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The most influential criminal activity the Mafia was ever involved in, however, was the infiltration of labor unions, which meant the Mafia probably got a cut of every construction project in certain areas of the country for years.

Resources

• The American Mafia