Economic and Social Effects of Prohibition Essay examples -- history

Economic and Social Effects of ProhibitionThere be many ways in which prohibition of alcohol consumption in the United States of America, damaged the very economic and social aspects of American culture, that it was knowing to heal. Prohibition did not achieve its goals. Instead, it added to the problems it was intended to solve. On 16th January 1920, one of the most common personal habits and customs of American society came to a halt. The eighteenth amendment was implemented, making completely importing, exporting, transporting, selling and manufacturing of intoxicating liquors absolutely prohibited. This justness was created in the hope of achieving the reduction of alcohol consumption, which in turn would bring low crime, poverty, death rank, and improve both the economy, and the quality of life for all Americans. These goals were farthermost from achieved. The prohibition amendment of the 1920s was ineffective because it was unenforceable. Instead, it caused various soci al problems such as the volatile growth of organized crime, increased liquor consumption, massive murder rates and corruption among city officials. Prohibition alike hurt the economy because the regimen wasnt collecting taxes on the multi-billion dollar a year industry. bingle of the main reasons that prohibition failed, was because it was difficult to control the mass flow of penal liquor from various countries, mainly Canada. Bootleggers smuggled liquor from oversees and Canada, stole it from governing body warehouses, and produced their own. The newly established Federal Prohibition Bureau had only 1,550 agents, and with 18,700 miles of enormous and virtually unpoliceable coastline, it was clearly impossible to prevent large quantities of liquor from get in the country. Not even 5% of smuggled liquor was ever in truth captured and seized from the workforce of the bootleggers. Bootlegging had become a very competitive and compensable market with the adaptation of prohibi tion. This illegal underground economy fell into the hands of organized gangs who over powered most of the authorities. Most of these gangsters, secured their businesses by bribing an immense number of city officials. Mainly brass agents and people with high semipolitical status such as Mayors, Judges, Police Chiefs, Senators and Governors, found their names on gangsters payroll. To some surprise, the consumption ... ...ederal officers to enforce the prohibition law. Many of those officers found themselves in the midst of the exchange of dirty notes between the bootleggers and themselves. Tax dollars were also spent on prosecuting bootleggers who got captured. Millions of dollars annually were spent convicting and keeping the prisoners in jails. early(a) economic problems were that citizens found themselves drinking away their pay cheques. These economic problems resulted in the government not taking in as much money as they could have, and spending money in areas that could ha ve been avoided, if prohibition hadnt existed in the first place. It was apparent that Prohibition didnt achieve its goals, instead, it added to the brisk economic and social problems, as well as creating new problems that would be prominent in todays society. Organized crime grew into an empire, oversight for the law grew, the per capita consumption of alcohol increased dramatically, city officials fell to gangsters, and the government lost money. It is obvious that prohibition was a miserable failure from all points of view. Reasonable measures were not taken to enforce the laws, so they were practically ignored.