{"id":9012,"date":"2023-11-07T17:15:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T16:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moviestumper.com\/?p=9012"},"modified":"2023-11-07T17:15:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T16:15:03","slug":"did-gangster-movies-weaken-american-mafia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviestumper.com\/did-gangster-movies-weaken-american-mafia\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Gangster Movies Weaken American Mafia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mafia’s Rise in America<\/h2>\n

Long before prohibition turned the Italian mafia into a powerful criminal empire, it found its beginnings in Europe. The Sicilian mafia was first established during the 19th century, where it served as vigilantes protecting people from the ruling oppression. They developed powerful professional networks and came to be a formidable organization.
\nIn the 19th century, waves of Italian immigrants came to the United States. They sought to escape poverty and seek better lives for themselves and their families. With them came the mafia. The organization sought to maintain the same power, using violence and intimidation to achieve its goals in the non-Italian sections of the US. With Prohibition, the mafia benefitted, taking advantage of the law by getting involved in illegal activities and creating a huge empire.<\/p>\n

The Role of Gangster Movies<\/h2>\n

Gangster movies of the 1920s and 30s depicted the mafia in a positive light, ignoring the illegal activities they were involved in and instead focussing on more romantic notions, such as honour and loyalty. This romantic reputation meant that the mafia was seen as something of a hero by the public and the organisation capitalised on this by making grand steps to further their criminal empire.
\nExperts suggest that movies of this era, such as the iconic Unbbered Men, romanticised the gangster lifestyle and downplayed the negative aspects of it. It showed America that the mafia, who usually remained in the shadows, could be an easy and sizeable target for criminal activity. <\/p>\n

Gangster Movies’ Influence on the American Mafia<\/h2>\n

The influence of gangster movies on the American mafia has been significant. The mafia has enjoyed such a level of power and influence, largely due to its successful establishment and evolution within the United States. Gangster movies in the 30’s and 40’s played a huge role in this success.
\nGangster movies glorified the lifestyles of those in the mafia, making it seem cooler and more desirable than it really was. The public began to think of the mafia almost as celebrities, and so were willing to overlook their criminal activity and involvement in illegal activities such as alcohol, drugs, and prostitution.
\nThe continued glamorisation of the mafia in movie form also helped shield the organisation from the legal consequences that they should have faced at the time. It helped normalize the criminal activities that members of the organisation were engaging in. <\/p>\n

The Decline of American Mafia<\/h2>\n

However, in the later years of the 20th century, the American mafia began to decline. The mafia was hit hard by the law enforcement, who began to understand the criminal activities they were engaging in and the need to combat it.
\nThe law saw gangster movies as part of the problem, as they were pushing the wrong message and enabling the criminal activities that members of the mafia were engaging in.
\nThe decline of the mafia in America has been largely attributed to new laws, better police forces, and changes to public perception. The law enforcement had improved its ability to combat organised crime, through better intelligence and law enforcement tactics. The public had also become much more aware of the dangers of the mafia and had grown to have a much more negative view of it. <\/p>\n

The Legacy of American Mafia<\/h2>\n