History of the Cosa Nostra
The term "Cosa Nostra" appeared in the 1962 Congressional testimony of Joseph Valachi (AKA Joe Cago, Charles Chanbano and Anthony Sorge) as a name used by American mafiosi for their otherwise unnamed criminal operation. The FBI latched on to the name, popularizing it and even embellishing it by adding the pronoun "la" (La Cosa Nostra), which is never used by Italians in reference to the Sicilian Mafia, which also uses the term. Its translation is "our thing."
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History
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The origin of the Cosa Nostra is believed to trace back to early 19th century Sicily. The government of mainland Italy at the time was unable to truly enforce law and order on the island, and violence and gang-like affiliations centered around family connections were common. Over the course of about a hundred years, many of the rituals and codes of conduct associated with the mafia developed as Sicilian clans (called "coscas") gained control of the port of Palermo and its lucrative citrus exporting business. The rise of fascism in Italy under Benito Mussolini, who specifically targeted the Sicilian mafia, led to an exodus of cosca mafiosi, including Carlo Gambino (AKA Don Carlo) and Joseph Bonanno (AKA Joe Bananas), who would gain power and prominence in New York City.
The Castellammarese War
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The early generation of Sicilian mafiosi in America were called "Mustache Petes," the most prominent of which were Joe Masseria (AKA Joe the Boss) and Salvatore Maranzano. These Old World mobsters essentially carried forward the traditions of the Sicilian coscas, monopolizing businesses (especially alcohol distribution during prohibition) and preying on vulnerable Italian immigrants rather than the public at large. Their long and bloody rivalry from 1929 to 1931 is known as the Castellammarese War after hometown in Sicily. Maranzano's side, which included "Joe Bananas" and Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino, eventually gained the upper hand. Sensing an opportunity, Charles "Lucky" Luciano betrayed his boss, Masseria, assassinating him in his favorite restaurant and seizing control of his operations.
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Significance
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In the wake of the Catellammarese War, Maranzano began restructuring the Cosa Nostra into its most recognizable form. Outside of New York City, each city was assigned to a single mafiosi family, headed by a boss and an underboss. Below that, each family was divided into crews of soldiers, each headed by a capo. Because of the sheer size of the mafia operations in New York, the city was divided amongst five families, the famous Five Families of New York (in which Gambino and Bonanno both served as bosses), with Maranzano at the top as "capo dei capi" (boss of the bosses) receiving tribute from them all.
The Commission
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Luciano, who'd been promised equal status by Marananzo, felt betrayed. In 1931, a team of Jewish hitmen hired by Luciano associate Meyer Lanksy killed Maranzano in his office. Again seizing the opportunity, Luciano stepped into power. Though doing away with the position of capo dei capi, he remained the undisputed leader of the organization of top bosses he created to settle all internal disputes, called The Commission. It consisted of the Five Families of New York City, the Buffalo crime family, and the Chicago Outfit of Johnny Torrio, later inherited by Al Capone. Crime families from Detroit, Los Angeles and Kansas City were added later. Luciano, however, was arrested for organized prostitution and sentenced to prison in 1936, where he continued to lead the Cosa Nostra through his acting boss Vito Genovese before eventually being deported.
Effects
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In the wake of Luciano's arrest, the Cosa Nostra went on to its greatest achievements and defeats. Through syndicates directed by Mayer Lanksy, the group developed gambling operations in Las Vegas, essentially putting the city on the map, as well as Havana, Cuba. With the help of Luciano, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the American mafia became increasingly cooperative, eventually operating a huge heroine smuggling operation in the 1970s. Organized crime, including elements of the Cosa Nostra, has occasionally been recruited by American intelligence for various tasks such as the assassination Fidel Castro (which obviously failed). In New York, Genovese looked to install himself as capo di capi at a mob conference in 1957 called the Appalachian Summit Meeting. To prevent Genovese's rise, members of the Five Families tipped off federal authorities. Genovese was apprehended, but so were several high-ranking mafiosi members. The arrests led to the Congressional testimony in which the secretive name 'Cosa Nostra' entered the public record.
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